Beautiful In Time
by Lia Jane
Summary: Rhiannon Grey manages a band that gets the opportunity to tour with one of the Twilight Saga's stars, Jackson Rathbone's band, 100 Monkeys. Instant attraction between Rhiannon and Jackson has her entranced, but could it be a recipe for disaster?
1. When One Door Closes, Another Opens

**Ok so this is my first ever Fanfic story and I am having a blast writing it. This story will have several dynamics including Romance, Drama, Humor, and Tragedy. The first few chapters will deal a lot with the Brother-Sister relationship of Rhiannon and Evan. It's very important that I show this because it will be important later. Don't fret though, loves, there will be PLENTY of Jackson as the story continues.**

**I will be posting a new Chapter on here every Sunday by 10 pm unless there are some unforeseen circumstances that lead to a delay. If that is ever going to be the case, I will post a notice on my blog to let everyone know. www(dot)lia-jane(dot)blogspot(dot)com.**

**Let me just take a moment to thank you for reading this and I look forward to hearing from you about how you think the story is going and any suggestions you may have for things you'd like to see.**

**A BIG thank you to Starchick7003 (Brit) for being my pre-reader and advisor as well as pushing me to get it out there. Your faith in me means a lot girl. Does THANK YOU cover it? Haha!**

**So here you go…I hope you enjoy it!**

"Hello?"

"Hey, Rhi."

"Evan?"

"Yeah. Before you say anything, I called to apologize and beg you to come back."

"You sneaky little shit. You knew I wouldn't answer if you called from your phone. Whose phone is this anyway?" I was getting angrier by the second.

"Rhi, please don't be mad. I need you here for something. As our manager, not my sister."

I stood in my living room in silence. There was no way I was driving the half an hour back to where the band was practicing. Not after the way he had talked to me just hours ago…

_I pulled up to the house and turned off my car. I sat there for what seemed like forever. I didn't want to go in. I knew I was about to give the guys really bad news and I hated to be the one to give it to them._

_I took a deep breath, opened the door, and stepped out of my car and into a pile of dog shit._

"_Great." I grumbled as I shook my foot back and forth trying to get it off my shoe. Of course that action doesn't really work so I decided I'd just kick those shoes off when I got to the porch. That's when I heard a loud laugh coming from the direction of the front door. I looked up to see Chris, the band's bassist, leaned up against the front door with his arms folded across his chest laughing hysterically at me._

"_I'm so very glad you're getting a laugh at my expense. Now could you come and help me?"_

_He simply nodded and jumped off the porch. In one swift motion he swooped me up into his arms, carried me to the porch and sat me down. _

"_Thanks." I huffed. "Is everyone still here?" The nerves returned as I remembered what I had to do._

_Chris shrugged his shoulders and opened the door. _He sure is a man of few words._ I thought as I stepped into the kitchen. _

"_Rhiannon!" Eddie yelled from behind the drum set that was assembled in front of the fire place. "Welcome to my new bachelor pad!" He jumped up and wrapped me in a big hug._

_Eddie had just gone through a divorce and bought this house solely on the fact that it had a massive living room so the guys could practice in it instead of the cliché garage location. I missed those days, though because the garage they practiced in was my parent's garage. The garage that was attached to the house I grew up in._

"_It's got charm, Eddie." I surveyed the living room that barely had anything in it. "Are you going to buy furniture or just leave it like this?" _

_He frowned as he thought about it. "What's wrong with it? I think we need the space."_

_I just laughed and playfully nudged his arm. "Where's Evan?" I asked._

_Just then I felt fingers tickling the back of my neck. As a reflex I spun around and prepared to throw punches. Instead I stood face to face with Evan. My brother and lead singer of the band had the goofiest grin planted on his face._

"_You asshole! You know I hate it when anyone touches my neck. I almost decked you." _

"_Oh you could've tried, but I doubt you would've gotten close." He laughed and ducked as I tried to punch him in the jaw. After we play fought for a few minutes and my knee came dangerously close to his nether region, he called a truce. _

_After we had calmed down and everyone was seated, he asked the dreaded question. "Not that I'm not glad to see you, but what are you doing here? I thought you had a meeting with Rick right now."_

_Rick was the owner of Boudreaux and Thibodeaux, the bar the boys were supposed to play at in a few weeks._

_I took a deep breath as I prepared to tell them the bad news. Everyone was staring at me and I felt like at any moment I was going to jump up and run from the room. This gig had meant so much to them. It was a big step in the right direction to getting Abolish Luck (band's name) noticed. How was I going to tell them the show was off?_

"_Well…we need to talk about that." I started. "Wait. Where's Jerry?" Jerry was the keyboardist and back up vocalist. He needed to be here for this little discussion and I was grateful for the distraction._

"_Jerry's getting beer. What do you mean 'we need to talk about that'?" Evan wasn't letting me off the hook so easily._

"_Jerry needs to be here." I protested._

"_Just spill it Rhi." He was getting impatient and I knew I had to tell them._

"_Ok fine. I'm not at the meeting because Rick called and cancelled the show." I sped through the confession looking at the floor the whole time._

_At first there was nothing but silence. It was driving me crazy! When I finally chanced looking up, I immediately wished I hadn't. Eddie just got up and walked out grabbing his cigarettes on the way out. Chris went to join Eddie and Evan was just looking at me. His face was unreadable and I began to panic._

"_Will you say something please?" _

"_Why?" Was all he said._

"_Why do I want you to say something?" I was confused._

"_No. Why was it cancelled?"_

"_I don't know." I whispered. I could tell he was angry and I felt horrible. As their manager, I had let them down. "He said something about the scheduling not working for him, but I don't know if I believe that because he didn't even attempt to reschedule. I'm so sorry Evan. I don't know what happened."_

"_This is such bull shit!" He suddenly yelled and I almost fell out of my seat._

"_Evan-"_

"_No! Don't even start Rhiannon. We've been at this for over a year doing shit shows at shit venues for shit pay." His face was growing redder by the minute. "I'm sick of the 'we gotta pay our dues' pep talk of yours. I want to move forward with this but it seems like with every step forward, we take two more steps back."_

"_That's not true!" I yelled back at him. "You guys have come so far. Just give me some time. I'll find something better, I swear."_

"_Maybe YOU are the problem." He spat back at me. Now I was pissed._

"_Excuse me? And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?" My temper was coming out in full force. One of the hazards of being a red-head._

"_That means that you have absolutely no fucking clue what you're doing. Have you ever managed a band before? No. All you have is a bull shit business degree. This is all your fault."_

"_My fault? Maybe you shouldn't write such fucking pathetic songs! You think I have no clue what I'm doing? Fine. I quit."_

"_You're such a fucking bitch, you know that? And by the way, you can't quit because I'm firing you." He turned and headed down the hall. Shortly after, I heard a door slam._

_I grabbed my purse and headed to the door. Jerry was walking in with burgers and beer. He had a look on his face that told me he knew what was going on. I didn't want to have to deal with it anymore so I mumbled "I'm sorry" and stalked out the door. _

"Are you there?" Evan pulled me out of my thoughts. He seemed worried I'd hung up on him.

"Yeah, but I thought I wasn't your manager anymore. Isn't that what you said?"

"Jesus, Rhiannon. Give me a fucking break please." He said seeming genuinely upset. "I was pissed, ok? Not at you, just at the situation."

"Well it's not my fault Rick cancelled on us, Evan. I promoted the shit out of you guys and did everything but give a damn blow job to get you guys the gig. I have no idea why he bailed." I was extremely exasperated by the time I finished my rant and had opened my mouth to continue when Evan interrupted me.

"That's what I'm trying to tell you. I know why they cancelled. Just come back and we'll discuss it."

I stood there for another minute before I decided to answer. I couldn't stay mad at my big brother. We had always been close. He was my best friend. "You said you called to apologize and I haven't heard even one 'I'm sorry'" I joked.

He chuckled and then said, "I'm sorry, ok? I will buy you anything you want when I'm rich and famous. I'll even buy you an island. Just come back please."

"What's got you in such a good mood?" I was beginning to let my curiosity get the best of me.

"Just get here. Bring a bottle of Tequila and put your game face on. We have a meeting and we need our manager." With that, he hung up.

Well now I had to go. By the time I had picked up the tequila and driven the 30 minutes to get there, I was crazy with curiosity.

_What the hell could have him so happy?_

I gathered the liquor in my arms and stepped out of my car. I started to walk to the door when I noticed a car I didn't recognize sitting in the driveway ahead of mine. It was a freaking Lexus LS. Only my dream car! The car was gorgeous. The exterior was black while the interior was light gray leather trim with dark gray accents. It was way too fancy to be any of the guys' vehicles.

_Unless the meeting is about one of them getting a new car. _I laughed to myself.

I was just about to knock on the door when it opened for me. Evan was standing on the other side and gave me an apologetic smile. He then took the tequila off my hands and headed to the living room.

"Evan, what is this about? You've got me about to lose my mind. And whose car is that out there? I'm tempted to steal it." I said as I followed him into the band's practice room. I stopped suddenly when I noticed there were more than the customary 4 guys I was used to seeing. The man standing in the corner next to the makeshift bar was instantly familiar. I had to be losing my mind. There was no way that standing in Eddie's living room was Jackson Rathbone. Jackson Rathbone of one of my favorite bands, 100 Monkeys and one of the Twilight saga's most notable stars. If he wasn't the real deal he could certainly win a look-alike contest.

_Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh…My…God…It IS him!_

"Hi, I'm Jackson Rathbone." He said as he walked toward me with his hand outstretched to shake mine.

_No fucking way._

Everyone busted out into laughter, including the beautiful man standing in front of me.

"Oh shit. I said that out loud didn't I?" I was so embarrassed I took off to the bathroom.

"Rhi, wait!" Evan called after me. He lightly knocked. "You need to put your hormones aside for a minute and hear him out." He said through the door. I opened it up just a crack.

"Fuck you." I whispered. "You could've told me Jackson Rathbone was here. That might have been some important information to pass along since I look like shit."

"Would you have believed me?" He laughed. "Besides, you look fine. Now get your ass back out here." I looked at myself in the mirror. I did not look fine. I was wearing jeans with the knees worn out and a white tank top. I couldn't believe I had gone out in this knowing how self-conscious I am about my arms. I wanted to throw up as I looked at myself. The only good thing about how I looked was my hair. My hair was always perfect no matter what I did to it. It was my crowning glory. Pun intended. My hair was a natural deep red and wavy. I kept it shoulder length and usually wore it down. Today had been no exception.

_Ok get your shit together, Rhiannon. You can do this._

I took a long, slow breath and opened the bathroom door. I walked confidently back to the living room and all the way up to Jackson.

I immediately smiled and held my hand out to shake his. "I'm so sorry about that. It's nice to meet you Jackson. I'm Rhiannon Grey, the band's manager."

"Nice to meet you too, Rhiannon." The way he said my name with that southern drawl made my knees weak.

"Ok so now that the pleasantries are out of the way, does someone want to tell me what this is all about?"

Jackson spoke up first. "I think we're the reason you guys got screwed over on the Boudreaux gig." Confusion must have been written all over my face because he quickly continued. "First of all let me apologize. When we were told we had a meeting with the owner, we had no idea that we would be booking the same date as you guys had. I happened to notice Rick erasing something on the board. When I asked him what he was erasing, he said that he had to reschedule a band that was supposed to play the same night as us. He told me the name of the band. I looked you guys up, called Evan, got directions and here I am." He finished with a chuckle.

_God, he's gorgeous. Even his laugh is sexy. Ugh! Stop drooling, you idiot._

I pulled myself together long enough to ask the important question. "I still don't understand what you're doing here. Why did you go to all that trouble to contact us?"

"Well I was hoping you guys would consider doing the show with us." He answered. "When I found your website I listened to some of the music and I really like it. Our styles aren't that different and I think together we could put on a fucking great show."

There were some "Hell yeah"s and some handshakes between the men. Unfortunately I had to be a downer and bring them back to business.

"I think it's unanimous." I laughed. "I'll just need to get some information and speak to your manager."

"She's all business." Jerry chimed in. Jackson laughed and I could feel my face growing hot. I shot Jerry a death glare and then turned my attention back to Jackson.

"Of course darlin." He said.

_Did he just call me darlin?_

"Um. Y-yeah. If you'll give me the number, I can call tomorrow."

"That's ok. I have your number. I'll just have Marty call you if that would be easier."

"Wait. How do you have my number?" I asked. I couldn't get over the fact that Jackson Rathbone, God of Sexiness, had MY phone number. I'm pretty sure I was smiling like an idiot.

"That would be my fault." Evan said. I looked at him, once again confused. Then it hit me.

"The phone you called me from was his?"

Evan only nodded, a smile spreading across his face. "And you have his number." He winked at me and my face grew hot again.

Jackson smiled. I was afraid I was going to start giggling at the mere sight of his amazing smile so to keep from embarrassing myself any more I decided to go have a smoke.

"I'll come with you if you don't mind." Jackson said.

_Shit._

As we walked outside I couldn't help but steal glances at the beautiful man. He was dressed casually in a T-shirt, jeans, and his signature cowboy boots. His hair was a gorgeous mess of dark locks. I hadn't realized I was staring until I noticed he hadn't lit his cigarette yet. He was looking back at me with a smirk on his face.

_Shit._

I smiled nervously and quickly occupied myself with looking in my purse for my pack of cigarettes. Once I found them and selected one from the pack I noticed that my lighter was missing. I looked up and Jackson, still wearing that smirk, had his lighter lit and was holding it out towards me.

"Thanks." I said and leaned toward the flame.

"Anytime honey."

I laughed a little too loudly and he smiled in return. _Jesus, I'm making a fucking fool of myself. _

"So Evan is your brother right?" He asked. I was afraid to open my mouth for fear that something stupid would come out so I just nodded. "I hope you don't think I'm being nosy, but I overheard him on the phone with you earlier. What was he supposed to be apologizing for?"

"Oh we just had a little argument about the cancellation of the show. He was a dick to me for no reason. Come to think of it, he still has some gravelling to do before I'll completely forgive him."

We laughed and continued smoking our cigarettes. Jackson struck up a little more small talk. "I read up a little on you guys from the website, but it never mentioned how the name was chosen. It's really unique."

"I chose it." I said and launched into one of my favorite stories to tell. "My brother has been playing music since he was 10 and writing music since he was 12. He'd play his new songs for me to get my opinion. When he was 15 he started dating his first love. They dated until he was 18 years old. My mom and I were sure they'd get married, but unfortunately they didn't last. She cheated on him and while he didn't want anyone to know how much it hurt him, I knew. A few days after the break up, he came to my room and asked me if I would listen to his new song. I always loved to hear him sing, so of course I was excited. He sang one of the most beautifully heart-breaking songs I have ever heard. I was in tears by the time he finished. The name of the song was 'Abolish Luck'. He refused to ever sing it for anyone else. He said it was too personal so when he formed the band, I insisted on that being the name." I finished with a smile.

His retuning smile was dazzling and I almost jumped him right then and there. I looked away quickly and cleared my throat.

"Listen, I'm sorry about the way I acted in there." I said. "I think there may be something wrong with the filter from my brain to my mouth." I laughed nervously.

He chuckled and turned towards me. "It's no problem. I'm kind of used to it I guess. At least with you, I don't really mind the attention."

I looked up at him and found him staring at me intently. It was like he wanted to say or do something. Unfortunately I didn't have the chance to find out what it was because we were rudely interrupted.

"Hey, there you two are." Eddie was standing in the doorway. "How long does it take to smoke a cigarette? Don't we have some business to discuss, Boss Lady?"

"First, don't call me that. I'm not your Boss Lady. Second, we've only been out here, what, 5 minutes? And third, if you want to keep your balls intact, you will never sneak up on me like that again."

"Yes Ma'am. Whatever you say, Boss Lady." He laughed as he took off into the house.

I sighed heavily. "I'm dealing with children." I said under my breath. Jackson was laughing as we stood up and stepped back in to the house.

For the next hour we discussed everything from timing to songs and everything in between. We were taking shots and having fun. I couldn't remember the last time I had seen the guys so happy. This was all thanks to Jackson. They had their gig back **and** they were playing with 100 Monkeys. It was a great opportunity for them.

Jackson said it was time for him to get going back to the hotel. They were just in Baton Rouge to meet with Rick and had to get up early to head to a show in Arizona, but he promised to have Marty call me as soon as he could. We all walked him out and said our goodbyes and Thank yous. When he got to me, I held my hand out to shake his. Instead he grabbed my hand and pulled me in for a hug. He smelled delicious and I would've loved nothing more than to stay like that forever, wrapped in his arms. When he began to pull back he stopped with his lips by my ear. I could feel his breath on my earlobe and my body broke out in goose bumps. "I was hoping maybe I could call you sometime." He whispered. He pulled out of the hug completely and was staring into my eyes. "S-sure." Was all I could manage to say. He smiled again and started to get into the Lexus.

"Hey, is that your car man? It's fucking sweet." Jerry called from the porch.

"Nah, it's a rental. It's a great car, but not my style." He shrugged as he climbed into the car.

I watched as he drove off feeling giddy, but not really sure why. I felt eyes on my back and realized I wasn't alone.

_Great. Giddy feeling gone._

"Don't even start, Evan." I didn't have to look at him to know I was about to get mercilessly teased for how I acted around Jackson. I finally turned around and was shocked to see a look of concern on his face.

"What is it?"

"I don't like it." Evan said, his look of concern turning into a look of anger.

"You don't like what? Don't tell me you're not doing the show!"

"No, we're doing the show. I just don't like how flirtatious he was with you." His eyes were boring into mine.

"You're delusional. Jackson Rathbone was not being flirtatious with me. Stop being stupid and let's go celebrate some more." I tried pulling him by his arm back to the house but he was having none of that.

"I heard him ask if he could call you, Rhiannon. That is definitely being flirtatious. I'm a guy. I know how we think."

"Look I am not even remotely hot enough for Jackson to want to flirt with me. If he was flirting, I'm sure it was just him trying to be nice. I am the band's manager, you know. He probably just wanted to make sure you guys would definitely do the show by buttering me up. And as far as him wanting to call me, I'm sure it's just to discuss business. So stop with the whole 'Big brother protection' thing and lets drink some damn tequila!" I didn't wait for him to answer. I turned and headed back to the house.

As I was taking my 6th shot of the night, I got a text message. The number wasn't familiar at first, but I knew who it was as soon as I read the message.

_Just wanted to tell you again how nice it was to meet you. I'm looking forward to getting to know everyone, especially you._

I quickly closed the message and put the phone back in my purse. Why was he being so nice to me?

_He probably felt sorry for me and decided to give me some attention since I did everything but hump his leg when I met him._ Yeah. That's what it was. He was always nice to his fans. I was no exception. There was no way a simple girl like me would ever land a guy like Jackson. Maybe we'd be friends, but that would definitely be the extent of it.

_Mmmm…friends with Jackson Rathbone. Yeah I could definitely get on board with that._


	2. We Need To Talk

**Are we having fun yet? This chapter holds a very special place in my heart. Maybe because it was a freaking blast to write. How lame is it that I laughed at my own jokes? Lol! See, there I go again…sigh.**

**Anyway, another HUGE thank you to Starchick7003. (Wanna know a secret? Shhh…don't tell anyone, but she is the effin' shit!) Came through for me again and I can't tell you how much I appreciate it. **

**Again, thank you all for reading. It means a lot to me. **

**Follow me on Twitter, if ya want. Twitter(dot)com/Lduke4711**

I shivered as Jackson ran his fingertips up my leg to my thigh ever so lightly. His touch was driving me wild. When his caress finally stopped at my waist, he hooked his fingers under the elastic band on my panties, slowly pulling them down and throwing them to the floor. I'd had all I could take so I sat up, pushed him onto his back and straddled him. His hands moved to my ass and squeezed. I leaned down and kissed him on those amazing lips sweetly at first and then with more urgency. He pulled away from me and smiled. He ran his fingers through my hair and then traced my jaw line. He pulled me back to him and kissed me again parting my lips with his tongue. I knew at any moment I was going to lose it so I sat up and unbuttoned his pants. As I was pulling them down he sat up and took me in his arms. He laid me back on the bed and started kissing my neck. He continued kissing down until he reached my breasts. He cupped them with his hands and tenderly rubbed my nipples. I moaned as he took my right nipple between his teeth and gingerly bit it. He began licking and sucking on it while he moved his hand between my legs. He rubbed his fingers up and down my slit and I moaned louder. I think I even called out his name, but I was so disoriented I couldn't remember. He looked up at me and gave me that orgasmic smirk as he pushed two fingers into me. My back lifted off the bed and if it was possible, I got even louder. He started work on my left boob while he pumped his fingers in and out of me adding a third finger in the process. I felt like at any moment I was going to cum when I heard…

"Rhiannon!"

I woke up and sat straight up. I was on Eddie's couch and not with Jackson. _Fuck! It was a dream. _I looked around. _Oh shit…_

Not only was that a dream I would've been embarrassed to wake up to by myself, but it looked like I had an audience. Of course Evan was the one who woke me up, but standing behind him was Chris and Eddie. They were both looking at me as if they were trying to hold back laughter and then I knew.

_Fuck me!_

They all started laughing and I realized that once again my mouth had let slip what I wanted to keep in my mind. "Shut up! All of you." I pouted like a child sitting Indian style on the couch with my arms folded across my chest. The only thing missing was poking my bottom lip out, but I wasn't too good at that anyway.

"I just thought it was an interesting choice of words considering the dream it sounded like you were having." Eddie snickered.

_Sounded? Oh God!_

"'Oh Jackson! Mmmmm'." Chris was mimicking me and then he and Eddie busted out into another round of annoying laughter. I'd had enough of that shit so I got up to get my stuff and leave.

"Hey, you need to hurry. You have to be at work in less than an hour." Evan was saying. I was so embarrassed by Chris and Eddie's antics I hadn't even processed the fact that Evan heard it too. Wasn't there a hole somewhere on this property I could just crawl in to?

"Hey Eddie you might want to remove those couch cushions and wash them before you sit on it again." Jerry was laughing.

_Jerry too?_

"Hey guys, knock it off!" Evan yelled at them. I wasn't sure if he was trying to save me anymore embarrassment or himself. Lord knows, he didn't want to think about his little sister in that way much less have his friends constantly reminding him of it.

"Thanks." I couldn't even look him in the eye. "What time is it?" I said as I gathered my things and shoved them into my purse.

"8:15."

"Damnit Evan! Why didn't anyone wake me up?" I almost screeched at him and immediately felt horrible.

"I did." He said uncomfortably. "Anyway, you're a big girl. It's not our responsibility to make sure you get up for work. Maybe you shouldn't have had so much to drink last night." He laughed and I was grateful the awkwardness seemed to be gone for the moment. He shoved me playfully and I punched his arm.

"Shut up. We were celebrating." I protested.

"Well quit arguing with me and go. Your boss is gonna be pissed if you're late." He said pushing me to the door.

"Alright. I'm going." I hurried out. "I'll call you later." I yelled back to him as I climbed in my car.

I drove like a bat out of hell and made it to my apartment in 20 minutes flat. Definitely a record. I took the quickest shower I have ever taken and pulled my hair up into a bun. As much as I hated to wear my hair up, I didn't have time to style it like I normally did. I threw on my clothes and rushed out the door.

I made it to the office with 5 minutes to spare so I dug in my purse until I found my make-up bag. I threw on a little concealer under my eyes, a light shade of eye shadow, mascara, and some clear lip gloss. After a quick look in the mirror, I put the bag back into my purse and hurried out of my car and up to the door. I stepped into the office at 8:59. I breathed a sigh of relief and headed to my desk.

"Rhiannon, can you please come in here?" Linda called from the back.

Linda was the owner of Gulf South Travel where I had been employed as a receptionist for the past 3 months. As much as I loved managing the band, it wasn't making me any money and if I wanted to keep from having to move back in with my parents at the age of 24, I had to take whatever job I could get. Don't get me wrong, I actually enjoyed working at a travel agency, but I found myself getting jealous of all the people booking their trips to Hawaii or Ireland. Just last week someone booked a trip to Italy. Lucky bastards.

"Of course, Linda."

I walked down the hallway littered with pictures of exotic destinations until I reached Linda's office door. I knocked lightly and waited for her to respond.

"Come in." She said. I opened the door but lingered just outside it.

"Have a seat. We need to talk."

_Uh-oh. _

I must have had the concern written all over my face because she laughed and said, "You're not in trouble, Rhiannon although you did cut it pretty close this morning."

"I'm so sorry Linda. My brother's band got some amazing news last night and we stayed up late celebrating. I slept through my alarm and had to rush to get here on time. That's why I look like this." I gestured to my hair and make-up as I sat down. "I swear it won't happen again."

She laughed again. "Sweetie, I said you weren't in trouble and you weren't late either, so no explanation is necessary."

"Ok." I said. "Then what's up?"

"Well as you know, my husband and I will be celebrating our 20th anniversary next week and he has surprised me with a trip to Paris." She smiled and clapped her hands like a child who had just received a toy or a piece of candy.

_Lucky bitch._

"Anyway, our flight leaves Saturday morning and we'll be gone until the following Saturday. That means all next week I will not be here." She sat up in her chair and leaned on the desk. "Rhiannon, I am promoting you and leaving you in charge all next week while I'm gone."

_Ummm…what?_

"What?" I was shocked to say the least.

"Don't look so surprised. You've been doing an excellent job. I should've promoted you weeks ago."

"What about Mia?" I asked. Mia was Linda's daughter and the other receptionist, though most of the time she just ran errands and got Linda's coffee every morning. She was always at least an hour late and bitched when she had to do anything other than sit on her ass playing on the computer.

"Mia isn't nearly as qualified to take the position as you are. She's my daughter and I love her, but she's pretty much useless around here." She sighed. "So will you do it?"

"Of course, but I'm not really sure what I will have to do."

"Don't worry about that." She replied. "I'll train you on everything this week so you'll be prepared to take over while I'm gone. You'll have to stay on top of Mia to do her job, but that should be the hardest thing you'll have to do."

We discussed the specifics of my pay raise and new hours. I would have to come in a half an hour early to open the office and stay half an hour later to close up. I would have a lot more responsibility but she assured me she had faith in me that I could handle it.

After she was satisfied that we had covered everything, she sent me back to my desk.

I reached into my purse and pulled out my phone. I was going to text Evan and tell him the good news when I noticed I had 4 unread text messages.

The first one was from Evan wanting to make sure I made it to work on time without having an accident. The other 2 were from my friend Stacy asking if we were still on for dinner tonight and another one wanting a response. The last one was from Jackson.

_What time would be good for Marty to call you?_ _-J Action_

I smiled as I thought about the fact that Jackson freaking Rathbone was texting me, but was abruptly embarrassed again when I remembered the dream I had of him last night. I decided to respond to his text first.

_I get off work at 5 so any time after that would be fine. -Rhiannon_

I sent Evan a text letting him know that I was fine and that I had some good news to tell him so I'd be calling him when I got off work. Then I sent Stacy a message confirming our dinner and told her I had something unbelievable to tell her when we saw each other. I started to put my phone down when it beeped, letting me know I had a new text message.

_Great. I'll let him know. When do you have a break? -J Action_

_Lunch. At 12.-Rhiannon_

_Can I call you? - J Action_

_Sure but why? -Rhiannon_

_Because I want to talk to you. Didn't you say it was ok to call you? -J Action_

_Yeah but you don't need to. I'll go over everything with Marty when he calls. -Rhiannon_

_I don't want to talk business. -J Action_

I sat looking at my phone thoroughly confused by the message when Mia finally made an appearance only 45 minutes late.

"Hey, you're early." I said with a big smile on my face. She gave me the middle finger and proceeded down the hall to her mother's office, coffee in hand.

I laughed and turned my attention back to my phone and the confusing text I had just received. Before I had a chance to send an answering text, the office phone rang.

_And so it begins. _I thought.

And begin it did. I don't think I've ever been as busy as I was that morning. If I wasn't answering phones I was being shown this or that by Linda and arguing with Mia. When 11:45 rolled around, Linda said she was taking off to lunch early and wanted me to lock the office up if I decided to leave to go eat. As she walked out, Evan walked in.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I stood up from behind my desk.

"You weren't answering my texts about going to lunch so I decided to just show up any way." He said.

"Oh shit, Evan. I'm sorry. I got so busy here that I haven't had a chance to look at my phone."

"No problem." He said and leaned in closer to me. "Who's the hottie over there?" He whispered gesturing to Mia.

I looked over at her sitting behind her desk, iPod in hand and headphones in her ears.

I had to admit she was really pretty. She was petite, but didn't give you the impression her body had never matured. She had an olive complexion and big blue eyes. Her hair was long and brown with caramel-colored highlights. If she wasn't such a spoiled bitch, I'd think her and my brother would make a really cute couple.

"Why? Do you wanna take her to lunch instead?" I raised my eyebrows at him, challenging him.

"No. I was just asking." He laughed and put his arm around my shoulders. "Should you tell her you're leaving?"

"It's not 12 yet. I can't leave until then."

"Oh. Well do you mind if I go talk to her then?"

I wanted to say "Hell yes I do mind!" but instead I just shrugged. What was I gonna do? If he wanted to date her, he would, no matter how much I objected.

He sauntered over to her and tapped his fingers on her desk. She looked like she was going to tear someone's head off until she saw who had been the one tapping. She removed her headphones and smiled. "Yes sir. Can I help you?" She asked oh-so-sweetly.

I wanted to throw up. She'd never helped a customer before in her entire time at Gulf South Travel. The only reason she was being nice now was because my brother was really attractive. He didn't get stuck with my mother's pale skin and freckles like I did. Instead he had more of my dad's complexion, being able to tan really easily, and absolutely no freckles. His eyes were green with little bits of brown mixed in while his hair was dark brown with a red tint and was naturally wavy like mine. He kept it long on top, but not going past the ears and the back of his hair was always kept nice and neat. He was always dressed like a rock star, even though he hadn't quite made it to that status yet.

"You can tell me why a pretty girl like you is stuck in this boring office all day." He smiled at her and she giggled. "Hi, my name is Evan Grey. I'm Rhiannon's brother."

"Really? Rhiannon, you never mentioned you had a brother." She shot me a "What the fuck?" look and then turned back to my brother. "I'm Mia Carter. My mother owns this place."

"It's very nice to meet you Mia."

While I answered a few more calls, Mia and Evan talked and flirted and generally made me sick to my stomach.

Finally it was 12. I jumped up and started over to where the two love birds were, when my cell rang. I was so flustered that I didn't even bother to look at the caller I.D. before answering.

"Hello?"

"Hey beautiful."

_Oh my God, it's Jackson._

"I think you've called the wrong number sir. If you're looking for beautiful, I'm not her."

Jackson laughed and at that moment the only thing going through my mind was a replay of last night's dream.

"No I think I've got the right number. What are you doing?" He asked.

"About to pull my brother away from eye-humping my co-worker and then hopefully heading to lunch. What about you?" I said as I stepped outside the office. I didn't want Evan to know I was talking to Jackson.

"Smoking a cigarette before heading in for a meeting, a couple of interviews, and then sound check. I thought I'd chance calling you even though I never heard back from you this morning."

"I'm sorry about that. I just got really busy at work and couldn't text you back." I explained.

"That's ok sugar."

_Dear Lord, how I love that accent._

"I have to say I was really confused by your text. Why wouldn't you want to talk to me about business?" I asked not really sure if I wanted to know the answer to that. "You're not changing your mind about the show are you?"

"No, of course not." He chuckled. "Everything is pretty much a go with that as Marty will tell you later. I wanted to talk to you about something else."

My stomach started knotting up as I asked "And what would that be?"

"Well there's this girl. Her name is Rhiannon and I just met her. She's really cute and funny and I want to get to know her better, but I'm afraid she'll think I'm stalking her or something if I call her all the time. Maybe I could alternate calling and texting? What do you think?"

I wanted to scream and jump up and down, but I was pretty sure that would send **him** running and screaming so I just took a deep breath and said, "Hmmm. Seems like you have a predicament. Maybe you should just hang it up. I don't know of anyone that would be thrilled to have you stalking them." I said sarcasm dripping off every word.

"Yeah, you're probably right." He said fake disappointment in his voice.

"Rhi are you ready to go?" Evan was saying from behind me. "Who are you talking to?"

"Is that Evan?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah I'm sorry but I have to go." I said quickly.

"Can I call you later?" He asked and I loved how much he sounded like he hoped I'd say yes.

"Sure if you have time."

"It might be late, but I'll definitely call you." He said. "Tell Evan I said Hi."

We said goodbye and I hung up feeling all sorts of giddy. Once again, Evan was the source of my downer.

"What?" I asked innocently.

"Don't give me that. You were talking to Jackson, weren't you?" He eyed me suspiciously. "What did he say?"

"He said to tell you Hi and that's the only part of the conversation that is any of your business." I snapped as we were heading to my car.

"Rhi, I don't-" Evan started.

"I know, I know. You don't like it. Well here's some news for you, Evan. I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself. Do you think I like you flirting with Mia? No. She's a spoiled brat and I think you can do a lot better, but you are going to do what you want to do and I have to accept that. Can't you show me the same respect?"

He didn't say anything as we climbed into my car. When he finally spoke, he shocked the hell out of me with what he said. "You're right. You can take care of yourself. I'm sorry."

I didn't know what to say so I just smiled and started the car. We had lunch at my favorite place, The Buzz Café and talked about my promotion and his conversation with Mia. He was thrilled to show me that he had her number in his phone. I just rolled my eyes and sarcastically congratulated him. When I got back from lunch I got blasted by Mia for not telling her I had a "hot" brother. She abruptly shut up when she got a text from him and proceeded to ignore me for the rest of the day. It wasn't like I was complaining. I didn't care to talk to her. She was an annoying bitch and I wished with every fiber of my being that Evan had never met her, but he had and he liked her. She obviously liked him. I guess I'd have to be ok with that but only as long as he stayed out of my business.

Linda and I worked together for the last few hours of the day and while I was happy about the promotion, I was drowning in all the information she was giving me. I couldn't have been happier when 5 o'clock rolled around and I was free to go.

I headed home and decided to take a shower since I wasn't in a rush now and could take my time. After I was showered, shaved, dressed, and ready I called Stacy.

"Hey bitch." She answered.

"What's up whore?" I teased.

"Nothing. Just waiting on my lazy ass best friend to decide to call me."

"I may be a lot of things, Stacy, but lazy isn't one of them."

"Yeah, yeah. So where are we meeting for dinner?" Stacy asked.

"The Niche? I've got a wicked craving for their seafood gumbo."

"Sounds good to me. See you in 15?"

"Yep."

When I got to the restaurant, Stacy was waiting outside smoking a cigarette. I immediately felt self-conscious walking up to her. She was freaking gorgeous, but it wasn't because of her athletic build, long blond hair, or great skin. It was the eyes. She had big ice-blue eyes framed with long dark eyelashes. She NEVER had to wear mascara and I hated her for it.

"Hey Stace." I smiled as I walked up to her.

She smiled back at me. "So what's this unbelievable news you have to tell me?"

One of the many things I love about Stacy? She doesn't waste any time.

"Can we get inside first please?" I laughed. We started to walk in when my phone rang. I glanced at the caller I.D., but didn't recognize the number. "Hang on a sec, Stacy. I think this is the call I've been waiting for."

She gave me a puzzled look and I mouthed "Later" and answered my phone.

"This is Rhiannon Grey." I liked how professional I sounded.

It was Marty, the 100 Monkeys' manager and we chatted for a few minutes before we got down to business. Marty had cleared it with Rick for the guys to join 100 Monkeys at the show and ironed out the remainder of the details. Sound check would be at 1 and the show would begin at 7 with Abolish Luck taking the stage first playing a 45 minute set. 100 Monkeys would be playing 2 sets. One at 8 and one at 10.

"So I think that just about covers it. Do you have any questions?" Marty asked.

"Yes. Are you going to advertise Abolish Luck along with 100 Monkeys, or is that going to be just up to us?"

"We will advertise you as well, but it wouldn't hurt to do some more advertising on your end."

"Of course. We'll make flyers and post them up around town. I'll email them to you to get your approval before hand."

"That sounds good to me."

We exchanged email addresses and I thanked him for giving us the opportunity. I started to say good bye when he stopped me.

"Hold on just a minute. Jay wants to talk to you."

Before I could say anything that sexy voice was already filling up my ear.

"Hey there." He said.

"Hi." I couldn't help but smile like a fool and Stacy, who had been smoking like a chimney as I talked with Marty, eyed me suspiciously.

"We're about to go on, but I wanted to tell you that I'm just going to call you tomorrow. It's going to be a late night and I know you have to work in the morning so I didn't want to call and wake you up."

_Beautiful AND sweet…_

"You think I'm beautiful?" He chuckled.

Once again my verbal filter failed me. "Oh my God." I said. "I really need to stop doing that!"

He laughed again and this time I couldn't help but join him. The amount of embarrassment one person could endure in one day apparently had no boundary. Or I could've just been losing my mind. Either way, I had to laugh or I'd cry.

"I really appreciate the sentiment, but you know you don't have to call me. It's not like you're obligated." I said.

"I know that." He said. "I want to."

There was a scuffle and scraping sounds and then a voice I didn't recognize. "Hello, who is this?" The voice said.

"Damnit Graupner! Give me the fucking phone!" Jackson was yelling in the background.

"A better question is who's this?" I shot back.

"Oooooo…she's a feisty one." Graupner said laughing. "Well to answer your **better **question I'm Ben Graupner, the handsome one of the band. Is this the infamous Rhiannon I've been hearing so much about?"

My face grew hot as I thought about the fact that he was telling people about me.

"Depends on what you've heard." I said stifling a giggle.

"Well I've heard a lot. Jay cannot stop talking about you. All we ever hear about is 'Rhiannon this and Rhiannon that and Rhiannon is so hot'." He proceeded to make kissing sounds in the phone.

I started to say something witty when I heard the scraping sound again, followed by grunts and laughing and finally a loud thud as if someone had dropped the phone and then Jackson was back.

"Hey, sorry about that." He was breathing hard. "Graupner said he was going to call you, but I refused to give him the number so he took matters into his own hands."

"It's no problem. He was actually really funny." I laughed. "So you've been talking about me?"

He didn't answer for a minute and I thought he might've hung up. "Hello?" I said.

"Yeah, I'm here. I just stepped out so I could talk to you for a minute without being disturbed."

"Ok, well you know if you have to go, it's fine."

"I've got a few minutes." He said. "Yes. I have been talking about you. I told them about meeting you guys and that you would be doing the show at Boudreaux's with us." He hesitated for a second before he said, "And then I told them that I had a little crush on you." He laughed nervously.

_Why would he be nervous? _

I just smiled and said, "Alright Casanova, enough with the charm. You should probably go anyway. Have fun and give 'em hell."

He chuckled. "Casanova, huh? Ok. Can I still call you tomorrow?"

"Yeah." I was smiling like an idiot again.

We hung up and I turned around to an extremely pissed Stacy.

"So are you going to tell me why you're acting like a love-sick teenager or am I going to have to beat it out of you?" She said with her arms folded across her chest.

"Let's get inside first. I'm fucking starving!"

We went inside, were seated and ordered our food and a couple of beers. While we waited for our food I filled Stacy in on the events of the last 24 hours. She shrieked and scared the hell out of everyone sitting close to us when I told her about Jackson being at Eddie's. She shrieked again when I told her I had just been on the phone with him.

"Jackson Rathbone. Dear God, that boy could smile and every female around him would cum instantly. I mean you do realize who we're talking about, right? He's Jasper. Only the hottest of all the Cullen boys and don't even get me started on his music. The way he plays that harmonica…Can you imagine what he could do with those lips and that tongue…"

"Stacy! Down girl." I laughed.

After she had composed herself she said, "So he actually told you he had a crush on you?" She was bouncing in her seat like a child.

"Yeah. That's what he said." I shrugged as I picked at my gumbo. "I don't have the slightest clue why though. I mean, he's Jackson Rathbone. You know, God of Hotness. I am Rhiannon Grey. Goddess of Awkwardness." I said as I took a swig of my beer.

"Jesus Christ, Rhiannon. You are so annoying." Stacy stared at me with a look of disgust. "He tells you he has a crush on you. You hear it from his mouth and you're still questioning it? Unbelievable. You know, I have half a mind to drag you by your hair outside and slap the sense back into you."

"What the hell Stacy?" I was stunned and a little hurt.

"Look. Here's the deal and you better listen because I will not be saying this again. You are beautiful, Rhi. You always have been. Not to mention how smart and funny you are. You're a fucking blast to hang out with when you're not being all depressed and shit. You've got a lot to offer Jackson and he'd be amazingly lucky to have you." With that, she downed the rest of her beer. "Shot? Because after all that sweet shit I just spewed, I need the burn."

I smiled and nodded.

A few shots later, we decided to call it a night and I headed home. I was tired from the lack of sleep I'd had the night before so instead of watching TV like I normally did to relax, I just went straight to bed.

I don't know how long I'd been asleep when my phone ringing woke me up. I was still half asleep so I couldn't really make out the number on my caller I.D. but seeing as how it was 2:30 in the morning I thought it might be important.

"Hello?" I rasped.

"Hey! You answered!"

"Jackson?" I could tell he was drunk. "I thought you said you weren't going to call me."

"Shit. I did say that, didn't I?" He slurred. "I'm so sorry. I'll let you go back to sleep."

"No. I'm awake now. What's going on?" I sat up in my bed and turned the lamp on.

"After party!" He said. "I've had a pretty good bit to drink."

I laughed. "Yeah I can tell. Did you guys have a good show?"

"Great show. It was so much fun. The only thing missing was you. That's why I had to call you. Just hearing your voice has made the night perfect."

"Oh yeah?" I laughed. "Then you've definitely had too much to drink."

"Too much? Nah. Just enough." He said. "Why do you think I've had too much?"

"Well for starters, because you forgot that you weren't supposed to call me and then you needed to hear my voice? That's a good indication of way too much liquor."

I thought he would laugh, but he didn't. I was afraid I might have pissed him off so I quickly said, "Anyway, I guess I do need to get back to sleep. Can you call me later?"

"Um. Yeah ok I guess." He said. "But we need to talk about that."

"About what?" I asked.

"When I try to give you a compliment or tell you that I like you, you just brush it off or make a joke. Why do you do that?"

He was obviously still drunk and I didn't want to have that kind of conversation with him yet, so I just did what I do best and made a joke, "I have no idea what you're talking about sir and if you insist on continuing in this manner, I will have to confiscate your alcohol."

He chuckled and then sighed. "Ok. Get some sleep."

"Are you going to call me later?" I asked hoping I hadn't just ruined everything.

"Of course."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Ok. Goodnight."

"Sleep good." He said.

I didn't sleep good. He got me thinking about why I am the way I am and then when I was tired of thinking about that I started thinking about him and how on earth he liked me which led me back to thinking about what he'd said. Needless to say there was a lot of contemplating and not much sleeping, but he did have a point.

_Maybe I'm just fucked up in the head._

When I finally fell back to sleep that's what I had resolved was to be my answer if he ever asked that question again.


	3. A Few Small Bruises

**Yay for Chapter 3! I have to confess that this is not my favorite Chapter so far, but it's necessary and is starting to lead the story in a little bit of a different direction that I hope doesn't piss anyone off…hehe! **

**Big thanks once again to Starchick7003 for being a freaking gem and throwing suggestions my way. She's been absolutely vital to these chapters. Seriously. My Twilighted Beta, Tima83, has also been amazing and I owe her a big thank you as well. **

**I've also posted follow up blogs to Chapters 1 and 2 on my blog: www(dot)lia-jane(dot)blogspot(dot)com. There is also a FANTASTIC "Beautiful In Time" Story banner posted there as well and a HUGE thanks goes to w8ing-writer, aka RtisticWhore (Twitter), aka Tiffany for making it and sharing it with me. It's pretty awesome! **

**Follow me on the Twitterverse for story-related updates and random babblings: Twitter(dot)com/Lduke4711.**

**My biggest thank you goes out to those of you reading this story. It makes me smile (one of those stupid smiles lol) to know that I have people who are actually enjoying it. So THANK YOU! I adore you all.**

3. A Few Small Bruises

My restless nights continued for the remainder of that week, weekend, and the following week. If I wasn't busy with work, talking to Jackson or watching the boys practice, I was working on flyers and such for the show coming up. I was really proud of myself that I hadn't collapsed from exhaustion and that my creativity apparently wasn't affected by lack of sleep. I wasn't even grumpy. Maybe it was because I was spending on average one to two hours on the phone with Jackson every day, or maybe it was because I felt good about all I'd accomplished at work while Linda was gone, or just the simple fact that I was so excited about the show and getting to see Jackson. I didn't know and I didn't care. For the first time in a long time I was happy and not just in the moment happy but REALLY happy. Even Stacy, who's never affected by my mood changes due to the fact that it happens so often, noticed and approved.

"You just really seem to have your shit together even though the bags under your eyes are starting to get bags." She laughed as we sat at the bar at Boudreaux's. It was Thursday night, almost the end of the work week, and I was ready to relax and have fun. "You should get some cream for that before Jackson gets back in town. When is he getting back anyway?"

"Well the show is Saturday night, so he said they would be getting here late tomorrow night and then they have to leave again Sunday afternoon." I sighed and sipped my beer.

"That doesn't leave much time for you guys to get your freak on," she said mock seriousness in her voice. "Whatever will you do? I guess you'll just have to settle for more wet dreams, huh?"

"Shut the fuck up Stacy!" I hissed looking around praying to Jesus that no one had heard her. I had never regretted telling her about that particular dream more. "I didn't intend to get my freak on with him anyway. We're still getting to know each other and we're not even dating or anything."

"Not yet," she said and smiled.

"Maybe never, Stacy. I mean he's a really busy guy. Who says he even has time for a relationship?"

"I'm sure he has time for a fuck buddy," she said and smiled an evil smile.

"Well you know I'm not that kind of girl."

"Yeah, yeah. Saint Rhiannon." She made a halo with her finger above her head. "What are you going to do if he wants to have sex with you? You would seriously have to be out of your fucking mind to turn him down."

"I won't have to worry about it," I said and smiled. "Like you said, his schedule doesn't leave much time for things like that."

She shrugged and thankfully dropped it.

"What time are the guys meeting us here?" she asked.

I looked at my phone and noticed that they were 30 minutes late. "They were supposed to be here at 8," I said. "I'll text Evan and see what's holding them up."

I started to text him, when he texted me instead.

_Hey had to pick up Mia. Be there in 10. –Evan_

Ugh! Mia. Great.

The two of them had spent just about every night together since the day they'd met, and I was just about sick of hearing about her and seeing her. I had to work with her every day and see her just about every night. It was getting to be more than I could take. I wasn't rubbing the fact that Jackson and I were talking so much in Evan's face, yet every time I turned around I was hearing about Mia.

_Fine. Just hurry. –Rhiannon_

By the time Evan, Mia, and the rest of the guys made it there, Stacy and I were well on our way to getting completely wasted. Between the two of us, we had downed 8 beers and 4 shots of Liquid Cocaine. A Liquid Cocaine must be what heaven is like…

"Hey, you wanna slow it down there Rhi?" Evan laughed as I ordered another beer. He had his arm around Mia's waist and she had that shit-eating grin plastered on her face as she stared at him.

"Nope," I said and finished off my 4th beer. "Liquid Cocaine's anyone?"

They all agreed to indulge with me so Stacy ordered a round.

"To great opportunities," Jerry said and we raised our shot glasses and downed them.

We had decided to come to Boudreaux's to formally celebrate the show Abolish Luck would be playing there Saturday night. Since I had already emailed the flyers to Marty and had them approved, we were also going to pass them out and post a few up around the bar.

"This place has a great atmosphere," Mia said as she traced her fingers up and down Evan's jaw line.

"Yeah, it's a pretty great place," Eddie agreed. "And look at this crowd. I hope it's this packed when we play."

"It will be. Mainly because of who we're playing with, but also because we have the best manager ever." Evan nudged me and smiled. "Did you bring the flyers?"

"I sure did, my good man. They're in the car," I answered.

"Why did you leave them in the car? Shouldn't you have been taking care of that already?" Mia's bitchy side wasn't going to disappoint tonight, that's for sure. For some reason, it bothered me though.

"No, that's the groupies' job." I turned to look at her. "So you should probably get to it then, Mia." I held out my keys.

We all laughed, except Evan and Mia. She was glaring at me, giving that "Go to Hell" look I had come to know so well. She then rolled her eyes and went back to pawing my brother.

Maybe it was the amount of alcohol I had consumed. Maybe it was just because I'd had my fill of her bull shit. More than likely it was a combination of the two, but I slammed my beer down, and got two inches from her face.

"What the fuck is your problem?" I seethed.

She gasped and clung to Evan's arm.

"Rhiannon, don't start," Evan warned.

"No! Evan, she's been nothing but a bitch to me since the day I met her. I think I deserve to know what I could have possibly done to make her hate me when she hasn't even taken the time to get to know me." I turned my attention back to her and said, "So how about it Mia? You wanna stop hiding behind my brother or what?" I said challenging her.

"Seriously, Rhi. You're going to get us kicked out of here," Stacy said pulling me away from the table.

I started to walk away when I heard Mia say, "Fucking bitch."

_Oh no she didn't._

I whirled around, walked straight up to her and decked her in the mouth. I don't know how I managed to keep from falling all over myself or accidentally punching Evan instead but I just chalked it up to adrenaline and reared back to throw another blow.

"Rhi! Damnit stop!" Evan yelled as he took Mia's face in his hands and before I knew what was happening, Eddie had wrapped his arms around my waist and was dragging me outside. Stacy and Chris followed us out and Stacy already had a cigarette out for me.

"Here. You need to calm down," she said as she handed it to me. I shoved Eddie off of me and lit my cigarette. After I took a long drag and blew the smoke out I looked at Stacy, Chris, and Eddie. They were all eyeing me as if they thought I was about to go all serial killer on them and for some reason it struck me as hilarious. I threw my head back and howled with laughter. After a few seconds, they all joined in with me. We were all still laughing when Jerry came out. He looked at us like we were all crazy which made us laugh even harder.

"That was fucking awesome!" Eddie said through his laughter.

"Bitch had it coming," I said. "Was she bleeding?" I didn't really care about her well-being. I just wanted to make sure that the only shot I'd had at her counted.

"Yep," Stacy snickered.

The laughter died down as everyone noticed Evan come stalking out of the bar. He grabbed my arm and drug me away from the group. When we were apparently far enough away, he released my arm and glared at me.

_Uh-oh. He's really pissed._

"Ow Evan! That fucking hurt," I said rubbing my arm.

"Good!" he yelled. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Are you trying to ruin my relationship?"

"What? Are you deaf Evan? She called me a bitch. What did you expect me to do?"

"You instigated it by calling her a groupie," he snapped. "She's really sensitive about that."

"Oh poor baby!" I mocked. "She's a bitch and she deserved what she got. I wish you would've never started seeing her."

"But I did and I am and I really like her, Rhiannon. Why can't you get your head out of your ass and see that?" He took a deep breath before continuing. "It's been a long time since I've felt this way. Can't you just be happy for me?"

And with that statement, I felt like shit. Worse than shit actually. I had let my own issues with Mia cloud my judgment and stopped me from seeing just how happy he seemed to be when he was with her or talking about her. He deserved happiness even if it was with someone I didn't think was good enough for him.

I looked down and quietly said, "I'm sorry. I never thought about it that way."

"That's just it, Rhi. You didn't think at all."

He was right. I didn't think. I didn't think about how hitting Mia would affect Evan and their relationship. I didn't think about how I could've ruined the show for the band if I'd been caught and kicked out. I also didn't think about how it could affect my job. I had totally fucked up.

I could tell he was still very angry with me and I wanted to do anything I could to make it right so even though it would've been more fun to jab a pen through my right eye I offered to go apologize to Mia. After wading through the sea of people in the bar I made it to the restroom. I took a deep breath as I stepped in.

_Alright Rhiannon, you can do this. At least now she knows you won't take any of her shit._

I enjoyed that little thought for a minute and then I got down to business.

"Mia, are you in here?"

"Who is it?" She sounded like she'd been crying. I felt terrible all over again. As much as I didn't like her, I still hadn't wanted to make her cry.

"It's Rhiannon. I came to apologize. Can you come out?"

"Just go away Rhiannon," she replied. Her voice sounded a little funny and I found myself wondering exactly what kind of damage I had done to her.

"Please, Mia. I really am sorry. I don't know what came over me. Please come out." After about 30 seconds I heard one of the stall doors unlock and she stepped out. I looked at her and felt proud and disgusted with myself at the same time. Her lip was swollen pretty big already and she had a vertical cut on the left side of her bottom lip. There was a little bruise forming around the wound as well. I couldn't believe I'd hit her so hard.

"Oh my God. I am so sorry." I rushed over to her intending to do something to help, but I didn't know what. "Let's get you some ice or something."

She just nodded and let me lead her out to the bar. After getting some ice from the bartender and having him wrap it up in a towel, she placed it on her lip as I led her outside to where my brother was.

Evan looked at both of us and then settled his attention on Mia. He took her in his arms and wrapped her in a big hug, not letting go for quite some time. It was actually really sweet and surprisingly enough I didn't feel like I was going to vomit from the sight of it. When he finally released her, he gently moved the ice pack and examined her lip.

"It's not that bad, baby," he whispered to her and smiled. "I think it's kinda sexy."

She started to laugh, but apparently it hurt too much so it ended up being a little chuckle followed by an "Ow" and a whimper.

"I owe you both an apology," I said." I have no excuse for what I did and I would totally understand if neither of you wanted to talk to me ever again, but I hope you'll both forgive me." I had been looking down for that little speech and when I looked up, Evan's face was softer. It gave me hope that maybe they wouldn't hate me after all.

Mia smiled as best she could and said, "It's ok, Rhiannon. I kind of deserved it. I'm sorry I called you a bitch."

_Wow. Really?_

"Um thanks Mia," I said hesitantly.

I looked at Evan. He was looking at her with the biggest, most idiotic smile on his face. I knew that smile all too well. I thought about that feeling I got in my stomach when I talked to Jackson or got a text from him and it made me smile as well.

"Ok so is everyone good now?" Jerry asked, effectively ending my moment.

"Yeah, but I'm going to get Mia home. Can you guys handle things here without me?" Evan looked at me. "Are you going to hit anyone else?"

"No," I answered sheepishly.

"Good."

Evan and Mia left. The rest of us went back to the bar and had a few more drinks. I'd lost my buzz throughout that ordeal and was desperate to get it back. I was all tingly again in no time and decided to get to work posting and passing out flyers. Stacy took the front door and made sure to flirt with every male that came by. Her strategy worked beautifully. She had given out every single flyer in no time. The guys decided to split up and go around posting flyers on every available and legal surface within a 2 mile radius. That left me to pass out flyers to the people who hadn't received one at the door and post a few throughout the bar. All of this took no longer than an hour, so once we were satisfied with our work, we went back to drinking. By midnight, all of us, with the exception of Chris, were ridiculously wasted and decided to call it a night.

There was no room for me in Chris' car so after I had convinced Stacy that I would be fine and for her to go on home, I called a cab. While I was sitting on the ground waiting for the cab to arrive, my phone beeped.

_Hey beautiful. What are you doing? – J Action_

I kicked my feet a few times and giggled. After I had composed myself I texted him back.

_Drunk. Waiting on a cab. – Rhiannon_

_Drunk? Hmm…wish I was there. – J Action_

Even drunk I didn't know how to respond to that text. Should I say "Me too" or "I miss you"? We'd been talking for almost two weeks just about every night. We'd gotten to know a lot about each other and flirted relentlessly, but we hadn't really put a label on what we were. I knew that he liked me and I liked him, but that was it. I decided to just change the subject.

_I got into a fight. – Rhiannon_

_Really? With who? Are you ok? – J Action_

_Yeah, I'm good. It was with Mia. I hit her in the mouth. She didn't touch me. – Rhiannon_

It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside that he was worried about me. I expected him to text me back. Instead, he called.

"Hello?" I sounded more drunk than I felt.

"Hey. Are you sure you're ok?" he asked, concern coloring that sexy voice of his.

"I'm good. It really wasn't a big deal. She called me a bitch. I punched her."

"You sound like you're better than good." He laughed.

"Oh yeah. I feel great," I said and giggled.

"So are you and Evan ok? I'm sure he didn't appreciate you hitting his girl." He was such a sweet heart.

"He was pretty pissed but I made nice and apologized and then she apologized so I'm pretty sure we're all good now."

"I'm glad to hear that. I want all of your attention when I get there. I don't want you to be worried about anything you don't have to be," he said.

"All of my attention, huh?" I was curious. "For what?"

He just laughed and said, "You'll see."

"Hey can I ask you a question?" I wanted to ask him what exactly we were. I felt like now would be as good a time as any to bring it up.

"Sure, baby girl. What do you wanna know?"

I started to regret mentioning anything. What if he had changed his mind about liking me? I hadn't known him for long, but I already liked him a lot.

_Oh, God! I'm going to go insane if I don't just ask him. _

As I was getting ready to ask him, the fucking cab pulled up. It was a perfect example of the shitty luck I had.

"Shit!" I stomped my foot.

"Rhiannon? Is everything ok?"

I sighed heavily. "Yes everything is fine, but I'll have to ask you that question later. My cab is here."

"Oh ok," he said. "Well I kind of wanted to talk to you about something too so can I call you when I get in town tomorrow?"

"Yeah ok. What time do you think you'll be getting in?"

"I'm not sure, but it'll be late."

"Ok that's fine."

After I hung up and was in the cab I started to analyze, then over-analyze the situation and what he would want to talk to me about. It was making my head throb. I had to be yelled at by the cab driver man to even notice that we were sitting in front of my apartment building. I got out and paid the man, but didn't give him a tip.

_Ha! That'll show you to yell at me._

I stumbled to my apartment door, dropped my keys a few times before I was able to unlock it, and stepped in. After stumbling some more I finally made it to my bedroom and flopped down on the bed.

"What a night," I said to no one.

I laid there for a few minutes thinking some more. I liked Jackson. I mean I REALLY liked him. What would I do if he just wanted to be friends? I guess I'd have to be ok with it and be thankful that I had that much.

I cleaned up and headed to bed with that dismal thought plaguing my mind. I might've kept myself up all night thinking about it if I hadn't been so completely exhausted. I fell asleep rather quickly.

The next morning, I woke up to my alarm screaming at me and the worst headache imaginable.

_Fantastic. _

I got in the shower and let the water run over me for what seemed like forever. When I was satisfied that I was completely clean, I got out and got dressed. As I was pulling up my black pants, I noticed some bruises on the knuckles of my right hand. For about a minute I had no idea what happened and then it all came back to me.

_I hit Mia last night. _

I started to have a panic attack. What if she had called Linda? What if when I got to work Mia was going to tell me that her mom had fired me? What would I do?

I took deep breaths, calming myself. She had apologized to me after all. Maybe everything would be fine. Regardless of what might happen, I had to show up. I finished getting ready and went to get in my car when I remembered I'd had to take a cab home last night. I stood there in the parking lot not knowing what to do. I didn't have time to wait on a cab to come get me.

I was still standing there dumbfounded when I saw my brother's black Honda Accord come pulling up into my parking spot. And then following his car was my car. My beautiful, sweet, red Nissan Altima. I had never been so happy to see it.

Evan got out of his car and Mia got out of mine. I tried not to let the shock that she'd done something to help me after what I did to her last night show on my face, but I failed miserably.

I squealed and gave Mia a big hug. "Thank you!" I hugged her again.

"Calm down, Rhiannon. It's not like I brought you Jackson on a silver platter. It's just your car," she said sounding annoyed. Good old Mia.

I glanced at my handiwork from the night before. The swelling had gone down a lot, but the bruise around the cut was darker. I quickly looked away.

"I know," I said. "But you didn't have to help me and I really appreciate that you did."

"Well I think that's enough with the mushy shit. You need to go or you're going to be late." She'd started to walk to Evan's car when she stopped, turned slightly towards me and said, "You're welcome by the way. I'll see you in a little bit." She quickly waved and climbed in to the passenger seat of my brother's car.

Before Evan got in he looked at me and smiled.

"Thanks," I said and he nodded, got in to the car, and they drove away. I climbed into my car and headed to work.

The morning was super slow so I was able to really talk to Mia about what happened the night before. We talked for quite a while about a variety of things and I actually started to respect her a little bit. I might've even started to like her. Even though I didn't know that much about her, one thing was certain, she really liked my brother. I could see it in her eyes when she talked about him and that made me feel better about the two of them being together. Mia and I even made plans to go to lunch together the following week. I couldn't believe after all this time and all her bitchy-ness that we might end up being friends.

She went to lunch with Evan and even though they invited me to join them I decided to just skip lunch altogether. I still wasn't feeling well due to my lovely hangover so I just spent the hour talking to Stacy and filling her in on the conversation with Jackson and the one with Mia. She was her usual "Don't fuck this up" self and gave me a bunch of advice I didn't really need, but I listened anyway and thanked her for her help.

Mia conveniently didn't show up after lunch sending me a text message that I owed her the afternoon off. She was right so I didn't argue. At about 5:15 I was finishing up some paperwork when the bell hanging on the front door jingled, announcing someone's arrival. Had I really forgotten to lock the door?

I didn't look up from the computer as I said, "I'm sorry, but we're closed."

"Oh. Well I was really looking forward to booking a European getaway."

I knew that voice.

"Jackson? What are you doing here?" I got up from my chair and half walked, half skipped up to him. I felt awkward because I really wasn't sure what to do once I got there, but I didn't really have time to think about it much because he took me in his arms and hugged me. It was the most amazing hug ever. Before he pulled completely away from me, he kissed my forehead and smiled.

_He always smells so fucking good…_

"Are you surprised?" he asked, still smiling.

"Well yeah. I thought you weren't getting in till late."

"I know. That was the whole point. I wanted to surprise you." I couldn't take my eyes off of him. I didn't even want to blink. He was actually here, standing right in front of me. For some reason the nerves and uncertainty just melted away and I leaned in and kissed him quickly on the lips.

_Oh shit. Did I really just do that?_

At first he looked shocked and then he smiled. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in to him. He leaned down and kissed me. It was so freaking sweet at first and then it got a little hotter. He opened his mouth and slipped his tongue in to mine. While we continued to tongue wrestle he moved his hands down to my ass and gently squeezed. I wrapped my arms around his neck and wound my fingers in his hair. Suddenly we were moving backwards, never breaking the kiss, until my ass hit my desk.

He broke away from me, panting. "Damn baby girl."

I giggled and playfully shoved him. He laughed and kissed me again but much shorter and sweeter.

"So do you have plans tonight?" he asked, still breathing hard.

"No. The only plans I had were to talk to you later. Why?"

"Because Evan said Eddie's throwing a party at his place tonight after they practice. He invited me and the rest of the guys to hear them practice and stay for the party. He told me to make sure to get you there too."

"Wait. Evan? You talked to Evan?" I asked.

"Yeah. I called him this morning and told him I wanted to surprise you. How else do you think I found out how to get here?"

I couldn't believe that Evan was in on the best surprise of my life especially considering that he had no problem letting me know how much he hated the idea of me being with Jackson. I made a mental note to thank him later.

"That sounds good to me. Let me just finish up and I'll be ready to go," I said as I sat back down at my desk. He pulled up a chair and sat down. We talked about everything, but nothing in particular while I completed my work. When I was ready to go, we got in to our separate cars and he followed me to my apartment so I could drop my car off and change.

He followed me in to my apartment and stayed in the living room while I went to my bedroom to change. I applied my make-up and tried on about a zillion T-shirt and jean combinations. When I was just about to give up on finding anything amazing to wear, I heard him laugh.

_Oh God! What has he found?_

I decided on the low cut black shirt, jeans, and black flip flops I'd tried on the first time and quickly got dressed and rushed to the living room to see what he'd been laughing at.

He was standing by the window in front of my rather large book case. It was almost as tall as the ceiling and was about twelve feet wide. Yeah, it was pretty massive. It took up the whole left corner of my living room, which wasn't that big to begin with. The top half of the book case was filled with my CD collection, while the bottom half was filled with various types of books.

"What are you laughing at?" I asked.

He put the Mythology book he'd been looking at back and turned towards me. "You have the most random music and book collection I have ever seen." He laughed again. "You have a Stevie Nicks CD followed by a Metallica CD, then a Rascal Flatts CD? And down here you have Anne Rice books and then it looks like every book R.L. Stine ever wrote. Aren't those Goosebumps books supposed to be for kids?" he said as he pulled one off the shelf.

I snatched it out of his hands and put it back in its place. "They're collector's items, thank you very much and as far as music goes, I like just about everything as long as it's good. You should see my iPod." I smiled. He didn't smile in return. He was just staring at me. It was starting to make me nervous.

"You look hot," he finally said, still surveying my appearance. I had added a little bit more dramatic make-up replacing my light eye shadow with a white/dark gray shadow combination that made my blue-green eyes pop. I'd also added eyeliner to my top and bottom eyelids and applied more mascara. The good thing was it didn't look over done. I'd tousled my wavy hair and sprayed just a little gel in it to bring out the loose curls.

I blushed and said, "Not as hot as you." He was wearing a deep Maroon button up shirt, dark blue jeans, and black cowboy boots. His dark hair was down, framing his face. He couldn't have looked more sensual if he tried.

_Unless he was naked…_

He chuckled and said, "Why thank you, Ma'am." He held out his arm. "Are you ready to go?"

I nodded and linked my arm with his and we headed out the door. He went on to the car while I locked up and met him in the parking lot. He was standing in front of the Lexus LS he'd had the last time. I hadn't noticed what car he was driving at the office because I was way too excited to see him to notice anything else.

"I thought you said this car wasn't your style," I said as I salivated over the sheer beauty of it.

"It's not, but I remembered you wanted to steal it so I figured that meant you liked it."

"Yeah I'd say I more than like this car. How did you get the same one?" I asked while he opened my door for me and I climbed in.

"I was just lucky, I guess," he answered and winked. He shut my door and walked around to the driver's side and got in.

I tried to be excited about the fact that I was riding in my dream car, but I knew I was more excited by who I was riding with in my dream car. I couldn't look away from him and he knew it. He had that panty-dropping smirk planted on his face the whole drive.

When we got to Eddie's we lingered outside for a smoke and I called Stacy to invite her but she said she was already walking out the door, that Evan had called earlier to invite her as well. I thought she was going to hyperventilate when I told her Jackson and the rest of the 100 Monkeys would be here. She excused herself from the phone call saying she had to change and she'd see me later.

As I was hanging up, a car was pulling in. The car stopped when it was directly behind the Lexus. I almost died when I realized who it was.

"Rhiannon, this is Jerad and Ben," he said gesturing to Jerad Anderson and Ben Johnson as they walked up to us.

"And I'm the love of your life," Graupner broke in, smiling.

"Yeah you know who this jack ass is." Jackson laughed. "Anyway, guys this is Rhiannon."

Jerad and Ben shook my hand and said, "Hello". Graupner picked me up and spun me around saying how nice it was to **finally** meet me.

"Hey man, keep your hands where I can see them," Jackson said eyeing Graupner as he held on to me.

_Is he jealous? _I smiled to myself at the thought of him caring enough about me to be jealous.

"What's the matter Jay? You afraid she's going to realize I'm a man and you're just a boy?" he asked, raising his eyebrows.

Jackson didn't say anything; he just lunged at Graupner, barely missing me. They fought for a few minutes, laughing and grunting, until Jerad broke it up.

Graupner winked at me as they walked back up to us. Jackson brushed past him and stood right next to me, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me in to him.

I was enjoying the closeness of our bodies when I noticed someone was missing.

"Where's Uncle Larry?" I asked. I was genuinely disappointed not to see him with the guys. I'd especially wanted to meet him.

"He's not feeling well," Ben said. "He wanted to rest up so he'd be better for the show tomorrow night."

"Marty stayed with Uncle, but he said he's looking forward to meeting you in person at the show," Jerad added.

I heard the front door open and looked to see Evan, Chris, Eddie, and Jerry come piling out of the house. There was another round of introductions as Abolish Luck met 100 Monkeys. After everyone was properly introduced, we went inside to start the practice. The boys talked instruments and sort of guy-bonded while I searched Eddie's kitchen for any kind of finger foods to make for the party. I was thoroughly annoyed as I searched every inch of his kitchen only to come up empty handed.

I sighed and headed back to the living room. "Hey Eddie since you have no food in this house, what did you expect your guests to eat?" I said, my hands on my hips.

"I didn't think about that, but if you'll notice I am more than prepared in the alcohol department," he replied pointing to the bar. There was just about every kind of liquor sitting on that shelf.

"And there's beer in the fridge," Evan chimed in.

I rolled my eyes. "Well I think I'm gonna go to the store and pick up a few finger foods while you guys practice," I said. "Does anyone want anything in particular?"

There was a train wreck of answers being thrown at me including "Wings", "Chips and Dip", and "Sandwiches" among others.

I laughed and said, "Ok, ok. I think I got all that. Evan, can I take your car?"

"My car is blocked in, Rhi. I'm sorry."

Well how the hell was I supposed to go? I started to call Stacy to see if she'd mind picking me up and taking me to the store when Jackson held out the keys to the Lexus and dangled them in front of my face.

"If Jerad will move that piece of shit they came in, you should be able to get out," he said while he placed the keys in my hand.

I had the stupidest smile on my face, I could feel it. I squealed and hugged him. He laughed as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. He kissed my forehead before releasing me from the hug. I felt my face grow hot as I realized we'd had an audience for my little freak out session. I cleared my throat and stepped away from Jackson.

"I'm gonna go now," I said and hurried out the door before anyone could make a joke.

Jerad followed me out so he could move the car.

"So when exactly did you guys get in?" I asked making small talk.

"Well Jay was set on getting here this morning so he drove pretty much all night. We checked in to our hotel at 8," he answered.

_He drove all night? How freaking sweet!_

"Please tell me he got some rest before he came to see me."

"Oh yeah. He crashed as soon as he got all of his shit in. He left us with the rest of it," he said and smiled.

"Ok, good. I mean not good that he left you guys with the stuff, but good he got some rest," I snorted.

"He really wanted to surprise you. I think he kind of has a crush on you, but then again so does Graupner." We laughed and then he excused himself and headed back inside.

Once he was out of sight I got in to the Lexus and started it. The engine sounded incredible.

_Where have you been all my life?_

As I drove to the store I couldn't help but giggle every now and again due to the sweetness of what Jackson did. I couldn't believe he'd sacrificed sleep to get here early to surprise me. It was probably the most thoughtful thing any guy had ever done for me.

I made my purchases at the store as quickly as I could so I could get back. I wanted to have as much time with Jackson as possible.

As I neared the house I saw Stacy's car pulling in. I honked and I guess I scared her because she swerved and almost went in to the ditch. I laughed and pulled in behind her.

She got out and when she realized it was me, she shot me the middle finger.

"What the hell Rhi? I almost pissed myself," she said.

I laughed again and said, "Sorry."

Jackson and Jerry came out to help with the groceries and as soon as Stacy saw Jackson, she froze.

"Jackson, this is Stacy. Stacy, this is Jackson," I introduced them.

"Hi," she whispered.

He took her hand , quickly kissed it, and flashed that orgasmic smirk, "Hello Stacy. It's nice to meet you."

I shot him a look and he stifled a laugh.

"I think that's quite enough with the charm, Jackson. I don't want to have to pick her up off the floor once she's fainted. " I said. He smiled and I couldn't help but smile back

Stacy rolled her eyes at me and then turned back to Jackson. "It's nice to meet you too," she said a little louder and smiled. "It just needs to be said and then I swear I will never repeat it again. You are fucking gorgeous and if my best friend wasn't so into you, I'd hump your leg right now."

I could not believe what was just said. All I wanted to do was find that hole I'd wished for when the sex dream happened and crawl inside it.

"Jesus, Stacy. Filter," I hissed and pinched her arm. She jumped and slapped my hand away.

No one said anything for a moment and I had the urge to run back to the Lexus. I still had the keys…

Suddenly, Stacy, Jerry, and Jackson started laughing which scared the hell out of me but at least it made me feel a little better that he'd apparently not taken offense to Stacy's stupidity.

The boys turned and headed to the house, bags in hand. Stacy looked at me and mouthed, "Oh my God" as we followed behind them. I smiled and nudged her almost knocking her over.

After all the bags were hauled in and we went through the introductions all over again for Stacy's sake, she and I started work on the food. We made mini sandwiches, honey BBQ wings, and a few other party foods. Add the vegetable and deli trays and the chips and dip I'd picked up while at the store and we had a pretty good set up going. It would be plenty of food for us and seeing as how we were the party, that's all that mattered.

The rest of Abolish Luck's practice went smoothly and I found myself getting excited about the show the next night. It was going to be amazing and for some reason I felt like it was just the beginning of great things to come for them.

Jackson noticed I was smiling and asked me what I was so happy about.

"I'm just glad you're here," I said. It was getting so much easier for me to say what was on my mind with him and I was thankful for that.

"Me too," he said as he took my hands in his and played with my fingers.

Once the practice was over, everyone attacked the food and devoured it in no time.

Jerad was especially happy with the mini sandwiches and said he **had** to know how to make them.

"There's nothing to it, really. It's just rolls, ham, and garlic butter. Assemble the sandwiches and then bake them for about six to eight minutes at 350, and there you go," I explained.

"Wait. You're gonna have to write that down for me," he said.

I laughed and shoved another sandwich in his mouth.

"Where's mine?" Jackson asked and opened his mouth so I could feed him a sandwich as well.

After the food was gone, everyone migrated over to the liquor. Jackson and I joined in on the fun, taking shots of whiskey. I hadn't eaten that much during the course of the day so it didn't take long for me to get a great buzz going.

I had to go to the bathroom so I got up and made my way down the hall. I was just about to go in when I felt arms wrap around my waist and drag me in the opposite direction of the bathroom. I was being pulled in to the bedroom across the hall and my assailant was Jackson.

He didn't speak as he pulled me in to him and kissed my lips. We opened our mouths and let our tongues meet. He walked us backwards until I was completely pinned between him and the wall. He kissed me harder as he lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. We stayed in that position for a bit, having the hottest make out session of my life.

I realized he'd taken us to the bed when I felt the smooth comforter against my back. I didn't have time to react to what was happening before he slid his hand up my shirt and rubbed my nipple through my bra. I broke away from him and moaned softly. He started to lift my shirt up when I stopped him.

"Jackson, wait," I panted. "I can't do this."

"What? Why?" His gorgeous green eyes stared into mine.

"I just don't…I mean, I'm not…I just can't ok?" I didn't really know what to say. There were plenty of reasons why, I just thought they would all make me sound ridiculous.

He sat up suddenly, making me jump.

"Hey, if you're not ready, it's ok," he said as he brushed a few stray hairs from my face.

That statement made me want to fuck his brains out then and there, but as much as I wanted to, it just wouldn't be right. There were still a lot of things we needed to figure out. I wasn't going to be some one night stand. I had more respect for myself than that. I also wanted more from Jackson than just sex. I wanted a relationship. I wanted him in my life.

"Thank you," I said as I sat up as well. I leaned over to him and kissed him. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. You have nothing to be sorry for." He smiled and kissed my hand.

We walked out of the bedroom and since I still had to pee, I went to the bathroom while he headed back to the party.

A little while later, Jerad (who'd been chosen as the designated driver) announced it was time for everyone that was riding with him to go.

Jackson had stopped drinking over an hour before that and swore he was sober enough to drive me home, so we decided to leave as well.

"Hey Jackson, wait up!" Evan called after us. He jogged up to us and motioned for me to get lost. I gave him a warning glare but walked to the car anyway. I smoked a cigarette as I waited for Jackson to get back.

"Hey there pretty lady," a voice said behind me.

I turned around to find Graupner standing there, a goofy grin on his face.

"Hi. Did you guys have fun?" I stumbled up to him and he laughed.

"Looks like you did," he said. "Where did you and Jackson disappear to earlier?"

I must've given him a look that resembled a deer being caught in headlights because he laughed even harder and threw his arm over my shoulders.

After he'd calmed down, he said, "In all seriousness, I just thought you should know that Jay really likes you. I wasn't exaggerating when I said we hear about you all the time. I hope it works out for you two, but if not, I'll always be waiting," he said dramatically and placed his hand over his heart.

I smiled and started to say something, but decided against it when I noticed Jackson had joined us.

He looked between Graupner and I suspiciously. "What were you two talking about?" he asked.

"I'll tell you if you'll tell me what you and Evan talked about," I shot back.

"I like her, Jay," Graupner said. "She's a keeper." He abruptly headed to the car when Jerad threatened to leave him.

Jackson was quiet during the drive back to my apartment. I kept trying to strike up a conversation, but he wasn't cooperating. I began to worry about what Evan might've said to him.

"Hey, what's going on?" I'd had my fill of the silence.

"What do you mean?" he asked as he pulled up in front of my apartment. He put the car in park and turned towards me.

"You've been weird since we left. If you're upset about the whole sex thing, I really am sorry. I wish I could explain why I feel that way without sounding absurd." I sighed and looked out the window.

"Hey," he said and slid his fingers under my chin, pulling my face towards him. "I am not upset about the sex thing. I promise. I told you it was ok that you weren't ready."

"Did Evan say something to you that upset you then, because I'm telling you, I know something's not right."

He chuckled and shook his head.

"Don't do that, Jackson. I'm serious," I whined.

"Listen, it's nothing you need to worry about. We'll talk later, I promise." He kissed my lips softly before shoving that magnificent tongue in my mouth. I was just about ready to throw my inhibitions out the fucking window when he pulled away from me and sighed. "You should probably go."

_What the fuck?_

I groaned, but got out of the car. I didn't look back as I walked in and shut my door. I felt like I wanted to scream, but I knew it wouldn't do me any good. Because of whatever was bothering Jackson, I was back to questioning everything again.

I texted Evan threatening his balls if he didn't tell me what he'd said to Jackson, but he didn't respond and wouldn't answer my call. I gave up around 2 am and headed to bed.

I fell asleep after imagining every horrible thing that could possibly happen. The only comforting thought was the fact that I'd see him later and he'd have to tell me what was going on.


	4. Set Fire to the Rain

**There's a little twist in this chapter that you guys may or may not like. It's necessary to the direction this story is headed so bear with me. Everything will work out like it's supposed to. **

**Chapter 5 may be a little late due to some work-related duties I have this week. It's going to be super busy for me but I'll try my hardest to get it posted on time. **

**Again, thank you guys for reading and I hope you all like it!**

Chapter 4: Set Fire to the Rain

I rolled over and groaned. For some reason it seemed like it was impossible for me to lift my head off the pillow. I threw my arm over to the night stand and retrieved my phone. I blinked several times hoping that the numbers I saw on the display would somehow magically change to what I wanted them to read.

"Shit!" It was already 12 o'clock! Sound check for the guys was in an hour.

_I must've forgotten to set an alarm._

I threw the covers off and jumped out of the bed. My head spun and almost made me lose my balance so I steadied myself before continuing. The last thing I needed was to fall and bust my head open.

I took a quick shower and got ready. Stacy made me promise on Jackson's life that I would go shopping with her after sound check to get me something amazing to wear to the show so I just threw on a pair of jeans and the Abolish Luck T shirt the guys had made special for me last year.

After my make-up was applied and my hair was gelled and styled as usual, I grabbed my phone and called Evan.

"Hey Rhi," he answered cheerfully. "Just get up?"

"Never mind that, Evan. Why the hell didn't you answer or call me back last night?" I hadn't forgotten about the shit that went down the night before and I was hell bent on getting some answers. "You could've at least answered my texts."

"I was a little um…Err…busy last night."

"Busy? You were too busy to answer my calls? What if something had been…?" I trailed off as I heard his chuckle through the phone and realized what he'd meant by "busy".

"Eww, Evan!"

He laughed loudly and then said, "Hey, you asked."

"I did not ask that! When did Mia even get there?" She hadn't come to the party last night because she'd had plans with some friends of hers.

"She got there about five minutes after you guys left," he replied. "Now what are you freaking out about?"

"Jackson barely spoke to me the whole ride home. He was just acting weird and I think it has something to do with what you said to him last night, so let's have it. What did you talk to him about?"

"We don't have time for this, Rhi. We've got twenty minutes till sound check. Are you on your way?"

As much as I hated to admit it, Evan was right. We didn't have time to discuss it. I needed to get my ass in gear.

"Ok, fine. But you will tell me what was said or so help me, Evan, I'll twist your balls until they pop. Do I make myself clear?"

"Jesus Christ, Rhi. You're fucking sick," he said.

"Yeah, well, at least my point has been made."

After I'd hung up from Evan, I texted Jackson as I headed to my car.

_Are you sure everything is ok? – Rhiannon_

A few seconds later, my phone beeped.

_Everything is fine. Stop worrying. Where are you? – J Action_

_On my way. – Rhiannon_

By the time I got to the bar, all the guys from both bands were already there. I walked in and immediately Graupner came sprinting towards me.

"There she is!" he said and gave me a big hug. "I thought you might've stopped off to pick up that friend of yours. What was her name?"

"Stacy?" I asked.

"Yeah that's the one. She's fucking hot!"

I pretended I was hurt. "What about us?" I said holding back a smile.

"There's room for both of you in my life," he said as he slid his arm around my shoulders. He smiled an evil smile. "And in my bed."

I laughed and punched him in the stomach.

Jerad came walking up with Uncle Larry, a really pretty woman I thought might be Lani (their Publicist), and another man I assumed was Marty.

I couldn't help but smile really big. I was thrilled to finally be meeting Uncle Larry.

"Rhiannon, this is Uncle Larry," Jerad introduced me.

"Miss Rhiannon it is a pleasure to meet you," Uncle Larry said as he took my hand in his.

"The pleasure is all mine," I said and smiled. "I've been looking forward to meeting you. Don't tell anyone, but you're my favorite."

"Ah, you're gonna make this old man blush," he said and laughed.

I could've spent the rest of the day talking to Uncle, but there were other introductions to be made.

"This is Marty," Jerad said gesturing to the man on his right. "And this is our Publicist, Lani."

Lani smiled and shook my hand and then rushed off to do whatever it was she needed to do.

"Hello Rhiannon. It's good to finally put a face with the voice." Marty shook my hand. "Good job getting the word out. Rick says he's expecting quite a crowd tonight."

"I'm glad to hear that. It's going to be a great show." I realized I hadn't seen Jackson yet. I searched the whole room but he was nowhere to be found.

I hadn't noticed how obvious I was being until Jerad caught my eye. He was giving me an all-knowing smile and nodded his head in the direction of the bathrooms. There was a door labeled "Authorized Personnel Only" that led to the lounge area used for bands.

I excused myself and made my way in the direction Jerad gestured to, when I was stopped by Rick. He had a few questions for me concerning the band so I tried to answer them as quickly as I could without sounding rude. After he was satisfied and had no more questions, I started to head to the lounge area again but Jackson was already heading out to set up for their sound check. He'd walked right past me and didn't even look at me. I wanted to go up and say something, anything to him, but the rest of the Monkeys had joined him and they were about to get started. I decided to just interrogate Evan when everyone was all done.

They fiddled with their instruments for a few minutes before they launched in to "Orson Brawl". I watched as Jackson sang and played. I loved how much passion he showed on his face. It made me start to think naughty thoughts. Even though no one could possibly know what was going through my mind, I felt my face flush with embarrassment so I looked down to keep anyone from noticing. When I looked back up, I found him looking at me but he quickly looked away.

_What the hell has gotten into him?_

I tried not to think about it and just focus on the amazing night ahead. After all, he'd told me not to worry about it. 

When they were done, Abolish Luck began their sound check which also went very well. I was definitely getting all excited again despite whatever was going on between me and Jackson. The performance tonight was going to be incredible and it would mark my first time ever seeing 100 Monkeys play live. That was enough to make me want to break out in a happy dance, but I restrained myself.

Evan conveniently had to go when they finished, which frustrated me all over again. I was about to say "Fuck it" and go raid the bar in an effort to drive out all the negative thoughts taking up residence in my brain when I saw Jackson. He walked right up to me and without saying a word, hooked his arm around my waist and pulled me in the direction of the lounge area. Once we were inside, he led me to the couch and sat me down and then took a seat next to me.

"What was that all about?" I asked.

"I just wanted to tell you that there _is_ something I want to talk to you about, but now is not the time," he said staring into my eyes.

"Jackson, that's not fair. Now you're going to have me worried all day and I –". He put his finger on my lips, effectively shushing me.

"I told you it's not a big deal and I meant it. Can you just trust me on that please?"

I thought about it for a second and sighed in defeat. "Ok, but are you planning on telling me before you leave tomorrow or were you going to drive me completely crazy?"

"We'll talk tonight after the show."

"You know I'm going to hold you to that right?" I warned him.

"I'm sure you will," he said and smiled but something was wrong with that smile. It seemed more forced than genuine. I studied his face for a sign, but there was nothing there.

_Fucking actors._

I started to panic. I guess he noticed and wanted to diffuse the situation because he leaned towards me and kissed me. It took no time for the kiss to get hot and heavy and before I knew it, I had climbed on top of Jackson, straddling him. His hands moved up into my hair and then down my shoulders, back, and hips before resting on my ass. He pulled me closer to him and I felt a poke. Little Jackson (though it was not little at all) was making an appearance and I knew that meant I should probably put a stop to what was going on, but I didn't want to. Instead I moved my hips in further towards him, grinding my hoo-ha in to his dick. He moaned softly and then went back to kissing me. The head of Little Jackson was positioned perfectly right over my clit and every time they met, it felt fucking amazing. Our breathing sped up as our pace sped up.

Jackson's hands began to wander up my shirt. I felt him un-hook my bra and then move his hands back to the twins he'd just released. He pulled away from me and watched my face as he cupped them and rubbed my nipples with his thumbs. I threw my head back and let loose a moan that would have given a porn star a run for their money.

"Oh fuck, Jackson," I breathed.

"You're fucking driving me crazy, baby," he whispered and rubbed the girls again.

I was unbelievably close to ripping our clothes off when the sound of the door opening scared us both.

"Holy shit guys! I am so sorry!" Stacy was standing in the door way with her hand covering her eyes, except for a little space over her right eye giving her a little window to peek out of.

"What the fuck Stacy!" I yelled as I frantically tried to get off of Jackson. "What's the matter with you? You don't knock?"

She just laughed and shrugged.

Jackson laughed quietly as he placed his hands over his crotch to hide the wood he was sporting. I walked up to him, kissed him quickly then brushed past Stacy to the restroom so I could fix my bra.

She followed behind me and when the door was shut to the bathroom she gave me her "Alright spill it" look and rested her hands on her hips.

"Don't look at me like that, Stacy," I said and went to work fixing my bra.

"You were gonna fuck him right there weren't you?" she accused.

"No I wasn't," I insisted. "We were just kissing."

"Um…hello, Rhi. He had his hands up your shirt and you were straddling and dry humping the hell out of him."

I blushed and decided to ignore that statement. "Are we going shopping or what?" I said as I walked past her and out the door.

She threw her hands up and came walking up to me mumbling something about me being the worst best friend ever. I assumed it was because I wouldn't kiss and tell, but with Stacy, who knows?

We didn't see Jackson on our way out and I was partially glad for that. I was still so riled up from our encounter in the lounge that if I saw him, I might've attacked him in front of everyone. We did however run in to Graupner.

"Hey, hey where are you ladies off to in such a hurry?" he asked and smiled at Stacy.

"We've got shopping to do," Stacy answered, unaffected by his charm.

"Shopping? Can I come?"

"Don't you have things you need to do?" I asked and shot him a warning glare.

He smiled that evil smile again but said, "Yeah I guess I do." He turned back to Stacy. "Can I buy you a drink later?"

Poor oblivious Stacy. She apparently couldn't recognize that Graupner was totally flirting with her.

"Um. Ok," she said and shrugged.

"We really should get going," I said and started towards the door.

"Ok. Have a good time and think about me if you try any underwear on." He laughed and headed to the lounge area.

Stacy laughed and I rolled my eyes.

"He's funny," she said.

"He's also totally in to you. Was it not obvious enough for you?" I laughed at the expression on her face and took it as a "No".

We waved to the other guys that were still hanging around as we headed out to Stacy's car.

Stacy had my number two dream car. It was a Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG Roadster in cherry red. One of the many things she acquired from her divorce settlement. If you're feeling bad for the guy who bought his wife that amazing car only to have her divorce him, don't. That car was a last ditch effort to buy Stacy's love back after he'd been caught sticking his dick in to every female paralegal at his law firm. She felt like she at least deserved that, but ended up with the house they'd shared too. She was pretty much set financially.

The awesome thing about Stacy was that even though she would probably never have to worry about money again due to the alimony she was getting, she didn't let that turn her in to a plastic surgery-addicted, gardener-fucking, shopaholic who did nothing but spend her Ex's money. She'd gotten her Real Estate license shortly after she left the cheater and was kicking ass and taking names in the industry. I was really proud of her.

"Top down?" Stacy asked as we got in to her car.

"Top down," I said and nodded. The weather was nice considering it was nearing the end of July and should have been unbearably hot and humid. I wanted to enjoy it not to mention it would be nice to feel the wind whipping my face and hair and hope to the Heavens that it would serve to push out some of the horrible thoughts circling in my mind. Even though he'd told me everything was fine and it was no big deal, I couldn't help but feel like Jackson wasn't being entirely truthful with me.

"Hey, thanks by the way," I said.

She looked surprised. "For what?"

"If you hadn't walked in when you did, I probably would've ended up fucking him right then and there and regretting it later."

That statement sounded absurd as it came out of my mouth. Who on earth would ever regret sleeping with the Bone? The answer to that question is me. Not because it wouldn't have been incredible, but because I wanted him to see me as more than just some sex-crazed groupie. Sleeping with him right now would send him the wrong message.

"I knew it!" she said. "You're welcome. Cock-blocking is my specialty, or in your case, pussy-blocking." She laughed rather loudly and then started the car.

After we'd driven for a few minutes I noticed we were leaving Baton Rouge.

"Stacy, where the hell are we going?"

"Lafayette. We need something for you that didn't come from Wal-Mart and I need to get out of Baton Rouge for a bit. I'm starting to go stir-crazy." She laughed.

"But I have to have time to get ready and be at Boudreaux's by 6. Lafayette is an hour drive."

"An hour drive in your piece of shit car," she said and grinned. "It's only two o'clock. I'll have you back in plenty of time."

I knew I was trapped. I was along for the ride whether I wanted to be or not.

"Ok." I turned towards her and pinched her arm. "And watch how you talk about the Altima. She may not be as hot as your Mercedes, but she's my baby."

She turned on the stereo in answer and floored it. We made it to Lafayette in 42 minutes. I couldn't believe we hadn't gotten pulled over.

We were singing Kelly Clarkson's "My Life Would Suck Without You" at the top of our lungs as we pulled in to the first stop on our shopping adventure. Stacy turned the car off and opened her door.

I hadn't looked up as we pulled in, but I was looking now.

"Stacy," I groaned as I realized we were parked right in front of a boutique. Boutiques were expensive and I looked ridiculous in their clothes.

"If you want to keep those lips attached to your face, you better not say another word," she warned and walked towards the store.

I knew it wouldn't do me any good to argue with her so I just followed her in.

The inside of the store was a lot bigger than it looked. There were rows and rows of dresses, their idea of T shirts and jeans, and lingerie.

"There's no way I'm ever going to find anything I like in here, Stace. And even if I do, I guarantee I can't afford it."

"Can you just humor me please?" She was already picking things up and looking at them. Her selections were making me nervous. I thought I might throw up when she picked up a black dress.

_Please Lord let her be looking at that for herself._

All hopes of that being the case were lost as she held it up against me.

"Stacy, no. I don't wear dresses." I pushed the dress away from me.

"You have great legs, Rhi. Maybe you should think about giving a dress a try," she said and smiled as she threw the dress over her arm. "You're trying it on."

We continued through the store, but I wasn't really looking at any of the clothes. My mind was elsewhere and it didn't take Stacy long to get fed up with it.

"Ok what's going on with you?" she asked as she put a shirt back on the rack.

"What do you mean?"

"Well I just asked you if you liked the shirt I had in my hand and you said 'Yes'," she replied.

"So?" I didn't know what the hell she was talking about.

"It was a purple halter top. You hate purple and you hate your arms, though I have no idea why. The point is, you're not paying attention so what's wrong?"

I sighed and decided it was better to talk to her about it now than have to listen to her bitch at me for the rest of the trip.

"Jackson was acting weird last night after he talked to Evan. I've tried to get to the bottom of it, but neither of them will tell me what's going on. Jackson said we'd talk after the show tonight, but I can't shake the feeling that it's not going to be good even though he swears it's no big deal. It's just got me worried, that's all." I played with the hem of the nearest pair of jeans.

"That is what's got you so upset?" she snorted. "You have nothing to worry about, Rhi. He obviously likes you otherwise he wouldn't have driven all night to surprise you. I'm sure he doesn't do that sort of thing for just anyone."

"Maybe, maybe not." I shrugged and hoped she'd drop the subject.

She sighed in exasperation and looked me straight in the eyes. "He wouldn't do that or look at you the way he does if he didn't like you," she insisted and then went back to looking at clothes. "Maybe he's just nervous or something."

"Why the hell would he be nervous, Stacy? He's fucking perfect. It wouldn't make any sense for him to be nervous."

"I don't know Rhiannon, but it's definitely a better theory than anything you've come up with. You always have to think the worst. It's exhausting sometimes to deal with your insecurities, you know that?"

She was right. I was being way too negative and I needed to put a stop to it. I decided to at least pretend to enjoy myself during the remainder of our shopping trip, for Stacy's sake.

"Ok, give me the fucking dress," I said and smiled.

She looked up at me and grinned from ear to ear. She pushed the dress in to my hands and pointed in the direction of the dressing rooms.

I'd just closed the door when I heard Stacy's voice from right outside. "You have to come out and model it for me whether you think you look good or not."

"Alright! Now can you please give me some privacy?"

She didn't say anything, but I heard her walk away. I hung the dress up on the hook and examined it. It really wasn't half bad. It was a simple black dress, but there was something about it. It wasn't super fancy, but it didn't need to be. I put it on and looked at myself in the mirror. Surprisingly, I didn't want to cry and rip it to shreds. It looked…good! Really good! It was shorter than I was comfortable with; coming up about mid-thigh, but it really didn't bother me that much. The fabric was light and it sort of just draped my body and Thank the Lord it was long sleeved. The last thing I needed was to be self-conscious about my freckled arms all night. I didn't mind wearing short sleeves but sleeveless wasn't something I enjoyed at all. There was a really pretty black and glittered tank top that went underneath to cover what the dress didn't and a belt that went around the waist.

I don't know how long I'd been staring at myself when there was a knock on the door.

"Hey, are you coming out or am I going to have to come in?" Stacy asked.

"Hang on just a second, Stace. I'm coming out," I answered. I tugged on the dress a few times, took a deep breath and opened the door. I stepped out and did one of those stupid twirls you see in the movies when people are trying on clothes. When I'd finished my spin I looked up at Stacy. She was straight up gawking at me.

"What?" I demanded.

"You look amazing," she said.

"It's pretty but amazing?"

"Shut up! Let me enjoy this for a damn minute please," she hissed.

I stood there feeling completely ridiculous. I hated the attention and she knew it. I'd tried on the dress and I liked it. The only thing left to do was check the price…

"Holy shit!" I hadn't used my inside voice so everyone in the store heard my little outburst.

"What is it?" Stacy asked, obviously annoyed.

"This dress is two hundred dollars. There's no way I can afford this."

"I'll get it." She held up her hand to shush me before I could protest. "I'm buying the dress Rhiannon and I will forcefully put it on you if you try to refuse to wear it tonight, understand?"

I knew I wouldn't win the fight so I just nodded.

"Good. Now go change. We still have to get shoes," she said as she pushed me back to the dressing room.

Two hundred dollars later we were back in Stacy's car and headed to a shoe store.

"I really don't need shoes, Stacy," I whined hoping that she'd just agree and take me home. I still had a lot to do before the show and it was already 3:30.

"It won't take long, I promise. I know exactly what we're getting."

"Do I have any say in this?"

"Nope. Just sit back and enjoy the ride," she said and laughed.

She was right. It didn't take long. She went straight to the section with an insane amount of high heels and selected a pair of black and silver pumps exactly my size. She made me try them on and walk around in them to make sure I wouldn't break my neck and then went to the register to purchase them.

She threatened my safety again when I tried to stop her from paying for them causing the cashier to laugh and embarrassing the hell out of me.

On the drive home she talked non-stop about what we could do to my hair and what make-up I should wear. It was making my head spin.

"Don't you think it's a little fancy for a bar?" I asked.

"This is a big night for the band and you need to look professional. It's not like it's a big formal gown; it's perfect." She smiled as she parked in front of my apartment. "Now let's get you ready. Jackson's gonna flip when he sees you!"

Jackson. I just realized I hadn't heard a word from him the whole time we were gone. I tried not to let it bother me and decided I'd send him a quick text instead of calling.

_So I'll never go shopping with Stacy again. Ever. – Rhiannon_

_Oh yeah? Why? – J Action_

_You'll see. – Rhiannon_

_It can't be that bad. – J Action_

_You say that now. – Rhiannon_

"Hey put the phone down. We've got things to see and people to do," Stacy yelled from my bedroom.

"Don't you mean things to do and people to see?"

"Do I?" She laughed. "Get your ass in here!"

_Gotta go and get ready before Stacy has an aneurism. – Rhiannon_

_Ok. I'll see you soon. – J Action_

Stacy hurried me in to the shower to wash the gel out of my hair. She wanted to straighten it to add to the dramatic difference the dress was going to make.

After I was showered, I put on my robe and left myself at the mercy of Stacy. Once she finished with my hair, she moved on to my make-up. She was refusing to let me see anything she was doing until she was done and honestly it was worrying me. When my make-up was done, she stood in front of the mirror while I put the dress on so I couldn't peek.

"Ok. Are you ready?" Stacy looked like she was on the verge of jumping up and down.

"As I'll ever be," I said and forced a smile. I was really nervous and not just about what I would see when I looked in the mirror.

She stepped away from the mirror to let me see the finished product. At first I just stared at my reflection. I looked so different, but it wasn't really a bad different. It wasn't me, but I had to admit I kind of liked it. The dress and shoes were pretty by themselves but when the hair and make-up was added to the mix, it took the look to another level. My hair was simple and straight, nothing too fancy while my make-up was a little more dramatic. Stacy had mixed silver and gold eye shadows on my eyes to highlight the silver in the dress and shoes and bring out the gold in my hair. She'd applied black eyeliner and black mascara which was something I never wore. If I bothered with eye liner at all, it was always brown to match the brown mascara I used. The look was finished off with blush and a light pink with a hint of gold lip gloss. It was so pretty and girly that I couldn't believe it was actually me. Finally, I smiled and Stacy let out a big whoosh of air that she'd apparently been holding in while I was looking at myself.

"Ok, it's 6 o'clock. You need to get to Boudreaux's. Leave me your key and I'll lock up when I'm done getting ready," Stacy said.

"You're not coming with me?" I started to lose it. I needed my best friend to keep me from freaking out.

"Dressed like this? No way. It won't take long. I'll be there in less than thirty minutes, I swear."

She shooed me out the door and I walked to my car.

As I was getting in the car my phone beeped, announcing I had a new text.

_Hey are you on your way? – Evan_

_In the car now. Where did you rush off to this afternoon? – Rhiannon_

_I had things to do. – Evan_

_Right. I guess you don't like your balls too much do you? – Rhiannon_

_I like them very much but I don't want to tell you what I said. You'll get mad. – Evan_

So he had said something that upset Jackson! I felt relieved and pissed all at the same time. Relieved because at least I knew Jackson's weirdness had nothing to do with me not sleeping with him but pissed because it was Evan's fault.

_We're gonna talk when I get there. See you in 5. – Rhiannon_

He didn't text back, but I knew he'd have to be there and I was determined to get my answers.

There were people already lined up outside Boudreaux's, so I pulled around to the back so I could enter the building there without having to fight my way through to the front door.

Once I was inside I spotted Jerry.

"Where's Evan?" I demanded.

He didn't answer. He just stared at me.

"What?" I was starting to get annoyed.

He just raised his eyebrows and smiled. "You look great," he finally said.

"Oh whatever. Where's Evan?" I asked again.

He pointed to the lounge area and I took off in that direction. I opened the door and was surprised to see just about everyone from both bands crammed in to the room. They all looked at me when I opened the door and again I got a bunch of blank expressions. The look that stood out the most was Jackson's. He was sitting on the edge of the couch and his eyes were glued to me. I don't even think he was blinking.

"Jesus Christ, what is the matter with you people?" I stomped my foot for dramatic effect, but almost caused myself to break my ankle. Graupner, who'd been standing closest to me, caught my arm and pulled me back up before I could completely fall on my face.

"Thanks," I muttered.

"No problem. You can thank me properly later," he said and looked me up and down with that devilish grin.

"Hey!" Evan and Jackson yelled in unison. Graupner held his hands up in surrender and laughed.

Everyone else joined in the laughter and my face grew hot. I reminded myself that I was on a mission.

"Evan. Outside. Now," I said and turned towards the door.

"Why don't I come instead?" Jackson asked and got up from the couch.

He walked up to me and grabbed my hand. He led me out the door and towards the back, but stopped in the hallway that led out to the rear parking lot.

"So are you ready to tell me what's going on then?" I wasn't about to let him charm his way out of this.

"Can I just say that you look beautiful first?" He flashed that freaking adorable smile and I just about melted.

I cleared my throat. "No," I said. I was determined and if there was one thing that I was known for, it was my determination.

He chuckled and shook his head. "You're something else, Rhiannon."

"Don't change the subject. I've been driving myself insane imagining what could've possibly happened for you to act this way and I just can't wait until after the show. I need to know now. Please?"

He sighed and looked away. "Ok, but you can't be mad at Evan. He's only looking out for you and I respect him a lot for that."

"Ok, fine. Out with it."

"He kind of told me the situation with your Dad," he began.

_Oh…My…God…_

My _Father_ left my mother after I was born, but came back when I was two. They did nothing but fight all the time and he'd leave my mom at least once a year for a few weeks at a time. I never understood why she took him back. He was obviously going out and fucking whoever he wanted when he left and then after he was tired of it, he'd come back and she'd let him. It was disgusting and I hated him for it. Finally when I was 9 he left her for good. He remarried just 3 months after their divorce was finalized. My mom remarried as well, but not until I was 12. Tom was a good man, though, and as far as I was concerned, he was my Dad. He made my Mom happy and that's all that mattered to me.

I was horrified that Evan had told him but not because it was some terrible deep down secret that I never wanted to see the light of day, it just wasn't something I had been prepared to share with Jackson yet.

"He wanted me to know about it because he said it's caused you relationship problems in the past. He said he liked me, but he was concerned I wouldn't be able to give you what you need and that I'd end up hurting you."

I felt like screaming and finding Evan to make good on the threats I'd made against his balls, instead I took a deep breath and asked the loaded question.

"What do you think?" I asked and looked him straight in the eyes.

"The thing is I really like you, Rhiannon. For the first time in a long time I actually want to be in a relationship. With you." He took my hands in his. "But I think Evan may be right."

My heart sank. I looked down quickly to hide the tears that were stinging my eyes, threatening to spill down my face.

"Ok," I tried to sound like it didn't bother me, but I'm sure I failed miserably. I pulled my hands from his and started to walk away but he caught my arm and pulled me back. I refused to look at him.

"Hey, please don't be upset, baby girl."

"I'm not," I lied.

"It's just that I have such a crazy schedule. We'd hardly get to see each other and I don't want you worrying I'm cheating on you or something because of all the groupies. I'm just afraid it would be a disaster." He sighed. "Will you please look at me or say something?"

"Why? You've already made your decision. It doesn't matter what I have to say, right? No one even thought to ask _me_ if I could handle a relationship with you. It's so nice to have all my decisions made for me so I don't have to bother with thinking for myself," I said sarcastically. He just looked at me and I could feel my anger building. "And what was that this afternoon? Were you hoping to get a little pussy before you kicked me to the curb? You're unbelievable."

"No! I can't help that I'm attracted to you. I let things go too far and let my dick do the thinking. I'm really sorry." He reached out for me, but I backed away. "Please, Rhiannon." He looked really upset and it made my chest ache to see him like that, but I couldn't worry about that right now. I had to get away from him before I lost it.

"I can't," I said and took off down the hall towards the bathroom. As soon as I wasn't facing him anymore, the tears came spilling out. I pushed the door to the bathroom open and walked straight in to Mia.

"Hey!" At first she was really pissed until she noticed I was crying. "Oh my God, Rhi. Are you ok?" She put her hands on my shoulders.

I threw my arms around her and cried. I thought she'd push me away or something, but she didn't. She just held on to me and let me cry. After a few minutes, I calmed down and moved away from her. She had a look of concern on her face as she studied me. "Should I go get Evan or something? What about Stacy? Is Stacy here?"

And just like she had been conjured out of thin air, Stacy walked in to the bathroom.

"Hey, there you are. I ran in to Jackson. Are you ok?" she asked.

"Wait. Jackson is the reason you're crying? What happened?" Mia actually sounded like she cared.

"I'm fine and yes he's the reason I've been crying but, it's ok now. I'm alright."

"Fine, my ass," Stacy said. "He just told her he couldn't be with her because he was afraid he'd hurt her or some stupid bull shit like that. If he hadn't looked so pitiful I would've beat his ass right then and there."

I tried to ignore Stacy and pull myself together. The show would be starting soon and I owed it to the band to be on my game tonight.

"I said I'm fine, Stace. Really," I insisted. She opened her mouth to say something but I cut her off. "Did you bring your make-up? I think I've made a mess of mine."

She gave me a look that kind of resembled pity mixed with annoyance, but nodded and pulled a small bag out of her purse. She quickly fixed the train wreck that had become my face and when she was finished I took the opportunity to get out of there. I didn't want to talk about Jackson anymore so I made some lame excuse about needing to get something from my car and walked out of the bathroom before anyone could say anything else. I felt like such an idiot for peeking around corners to make sure I wouldn't run into Jackson as I made my way to my car. Once I was outside, I pulled my cigarettes out of my purse and lit one up.

"Hello there, Miss Rhiannon." Uncle Larry was walking out of the back door. He must've seen me come out.

"Hi," I said trying to sound cheery.

"And what's got such a pretty lady like yourself all upset?"

_How can he tell? Am I really that transparent?_

"I'm ok." I was going for a record on how many lies I could tell in the span of an hour.

"Oh now, you may be able to lie to others, but you can't lie to me," he said. He had this kind and understanding look in his eyes that just made me want to tell him my whole life story but I decided to just give him the cliff notes version instead.

"It's really nothing. I'm just upset with Jackson. I don't want to bore you with the dramatic details, but needless to say, he doesn't want to be with me because he's afraid he'll hurt me."

"I see. Why does he think he'll hurt you?"

"Because of what my idiot brother told him, I guess. It's this whole sorted mess that happened with my father and Evan opened his big mouth and told Jackson about it so he decided it would be better to just not get in to a relationship with me at all than hurt me," I explained.

"Hmm." He just nodded as if he was taking it all in and then said, "I know you're very upset about it but let me give you another way to look at it. I have watched the way he looks at you and heard how much he talks about you. That boy really cares for you and if he's willing to give up being with you to save you any pain I believe that shows just how important you are to him. Now, I'm not saying he's right by any means but you need to look at it from that point of view." He patted me on the back and then turned to go back inside. "Everything will work out how it's supposed to Miss Rhiannon; you wait and see."

I took Uncle's advice and thought about it as I finished my cigarette. I understood what Uncle was saying but I couldn't get over the fact that Jackson didn't even include me in his decision. I was aware that I could end up getting hurt by him, but I'd wanted to try. Being with him was worth the risk for me but apparently my feelings didn't matter.

"Hey."

_Oh shit._

"What do you want Jackson?" I didn't even turn to look at him.

He put his hand on my shoulder but I shrugged it off. "I hate this Rhiannon. I fucking hate it but I don't know what to do." He walked around me and ducked his head to look me directly in the eyes.

"I hate it too," I said. "But more than anything I hate how you didn't even give me a chance to make my own decision. Jackson this affected me too."

"I know. I'm so sorry," he whispered.

I set my jaw, determined not to cry again.

"I can't talk about this anymore, ok?" I sounded like a tired old lady because I was pretty much emotionally drained. "I have to get back inside."

His face fell but he nodded. The look on his face almost knocked the breath out of me and all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around him. Instead I just went back inside.

I hurried to the lounge area to gather up Abolish Luck and give them one of my traditional pep-talks since the show would be starting in 15 minutes. As the boys gathered around me, Evan caught my eye. He mouthed, "I'm sorry" and I just shook my head and mouthed back, "Later". I pushed everything else out of my mind to focus on the task at hand and the night's upcoming events.

"Ok so I'm not going to lie to you. This is a pretty big night for you guys and I'm sure your nerves are starting to drive you crazy, but despite what may happen out there, remember one thing: You guys are the fucking shit! Abolish Luck on three. One…Two…Three!"

"Abolish Luck!" We all shouted. The boys high fived each other and hugged me. When Evan got to me he squeezed me extra hard and whispered in my ear, "I only want you to be happy."

"I know," I said and gave him the best smile I could muster up at that moment.

While they went on to the other part of their pre-show tradition, taking shots, I decided it was time for me to head out to the bar and get a fucking drink myself. As I entered the bar area I realized two things: One, there was a ton of fucking people here, and two, Stacy and Mia were sitting at the bar and they'd saved me a seat.

"Thanks," I said as I picked Stacy's legs up and moved them.

"Yeah you owe me. I've almost had to beat the asses of every bitch in this place to hold this spot for you. Where the hell have you been?"

"I just needed a minute, but I'm good now. I also had to see my boys before they took the stage." I smiled.

The bartender walked up so I ordered a round of Kamikazes and beers for me, Stacy, and Mia.

"To Abolish Luck," I said as we raised our Kamikazes. These particular Kamikazes were stronger than usual and it showed on all of our faces as we drank them down.

"Whoo," we all said in unison, making us laugh.

I turned back towards the bar and retrieved my beer. I took a few gulps and tried to think about anything other than Jackson. I briefly thought about leaving before 100 Monkeys performed so I wouldn't have to see him again but quickly dismissed that thought. I'd been excited for weeks to see them for the first time and I wasn't going to give that up just because I was hurt.

I was so lost in my thoughts; it took Stacy nudging me to realize Rick was speaking in to the microphone.

"…from right here in Baton Rouge. Please put your hands together for Abolish Luck!" Rick clapped and then got out of the way so the boys could do their thing.

I smiled really big as Evan walked up to the mic and said, "How's everyone doing tonight? Are we fucking drunk yet?"

Part of the crowd yelled "Yes" while the other part yelled "No".

"If you said no, get your ass to the bar we've got some fucking partying to do!" With that Evan and the guys launched in to their first song. And they killed it! It was so great I couldn't help but start feeling giddy. I felt like a proud Mama bear or something. I was closing my eyes as the next song started when Stacy tapped my shoulder. She and Mia were holding up shot glasses and Stacy had one for me in her hand.

"What is this?" I yelled over the music.

They looked at each other, smiled really big and yelled, "Tequila!"

I laughed. "What are we toasting to?"

Mia leaned over Stacy and got right up to my ear. "Maybe the fact that Jackson is over there in the corner and _cannot_stop staring at you," she said and then cut her eyes a few times in his direction.

Leave it to Mia to ruin my time. I know she hadn't meant to but her telling me that made me want to cry all over again. Instead I just shrugged and said, "We're gonna need a few more of these."

We knocked our tequila back and Mia ordered another round. After that one was burning my throat I felt the urge to dance. I jumped off of the bar stool and began swaying back and forth to the music. It wasn't a slow song, but I didn't feel like banging my head or booty dancing, I just wanted to feel the song. Get in to it so deeply that everything else would just melt away.

A few songs later, they went in to a cover of Cavo's "Champagne". The crowd went nuts for it and Evan sounded incredible. He was definitely on top of his game and enjoying the attention.

"You guys are fucking amazing!" he yelled once the song was finished, earning him some screams from the girls in the audience. I glanced over at Mia to see what she thought about that, but it was like she was in her own little world as she stared at Evan. She looked so happy and so…in love. I nudged Stacy and gestured towards Mia. She leaned in to me and said, "Oh yeah, I know. She's got it bad."

"So we're Abolish Luck and we're happy to be here sharing the stage with 100 Monkeys," There was a deafening roar of screams as Evan said that and he laughed. "We just want to give a heartfelt thanks to Jackson, Jerad, Ben J, Uncle Larry, Graupner and Marty for giving us this opportunity and to Rick for allowing the show to take place here in the best fucking bar in Baton Rouge!" Another round of screams made my head feel like it was going to pop. I loved how Evan was working the crowd and how they seemed to love him. I looked at him and found him looking at me. He smiled really big and said, "This last song is for my sister and our amazing manager, Rhiannon. I swore I'd never play this song in public, but this is a special occasion and I know how much you love it, Rhi. So here's the song that our band was named after, 'Abolish Luck'."

My eyes grew about ten times their normal size and I felt a smile spreading across my lips. Evan smiled big in return as Chris and Eddie made their way off the stage leaving Evan and Jerry to play the song. As the keyboard came in and Evan began to strum his acoustic guitar I closed my eyes. I let the music fill my head and take me back to when he'd played this song for me for the first time. I stayed like that, locked inside my head, for the whole song. I never wanted it to end, but when it did I opened my eyes and realized I'd been crying. I snapped out of it when Evan thanked the crowd for being so great, ending their set, and wiped my eyes. I made the mistake of glancing at Jackson. I don't know if he'd been looking at me like that the whole time or if it was just because he felt sorry for me because I had been crying, but he had the most intense look on his face. His eyes were boring in to mine. I tried to look away, but it was like our eyes were magnetized. I'm not sure how long we stayed like that before Stacy shook me bringing me back to reality.

"Rhiannon! Are you ok?" she was saying.

"What?" I was still dazed. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"I've been trying to get your attention forever. I was starting to worry about your sanity when I realized who you were looking at."

"I wasn't looking at anyone," I lied.

"Mm-hmm. Yeah right," she scoffed.

"Just get me another fucking shot please," I said.

A few shots later, I had a nice buzz forming. I thought it would probably be best to just stick with beer for the rest of the night, but Stacy insisted I had to take at least one more shot which turned in to 2 and then 3. By the time Evan and the guys made it out to the bar, my nice buzz had turned into a fucking fantastic buzz. Ok, so maybe I was drunk.

As soon as I saw Evan I jumped up and hugged him.

"Thank you! You have no idea what that meant to me," I said.

"You're welcome. I figured I owed you. I'm sorry about that stuff with Jackson. You know I only want what's best for you. I'm just not sure it's him."

"You could've just left well enough alone and let me find out for myself," I said. I didn't want to think about it anymore. I just wanted to have a good time so I came up with a plan. "Anyway, I don't want to talk about this at all for the rest of the night so I'm initiating a rule. Anyone who says Jackson's name for the rest of the evening has to take a shot of some kind of liquor. Ok?"

Everyone nodded but it only took 2 seconds for someone to break the rule.

"Jackson," Chris said and smiled.

We all laughed and I said, "Somebody get this man a shot!"

As I was trying to order Chris' shot the place erupted into deafening screams. I jerked my head towards the stage as Jackson took the mic. The other Monkeys were getting situated as Jackson addressed the crowd. "Ya'll give it up for Abolish Luck!" He gestured towards all of us and clapped. All eyes were focused on us as they all clapped and cheered. The guys went with it and nodded and pointed to some girls, flashing their sexiest smiles. I had to laugh. It was absolutely ridiculous but fucking awesome at the same time. "We want to thank them and their incredibly beautiful manager, Rhiannon, for agreeing to do this show with us. We've had a blast here in Baton Rouge and can't wait to get back and do it again."

"Ok who's ready to fucking party?" Graupner said. I didn't think the screams could get any louder than they'd already been. I was wrong. The only thing that stopped it was the music starting.

_If I could imagine heaven, they would serve Liquid Cocaine's and play 100 Monkeys all day long._

I hadn't been to many concerts aside from Abolish Luck's but I could definitely tell that the stage show was probably one of the best around. I felt like Evan and the boys could learn a thing or two from them. I danced like an idiot as they played "The Monkey Song" and swayed to the music during "Looker". The Improv song was hilarious and Jackson was adorable while he sang it. The Switcheroo's were making my head spin but showed just how multi-talented the guys were. I was having the fucking time of my life.

"Are you glad you stayed?" Stacy yelled.

I smiled big and knocked back another shot. I leaned over to her and said, "I have to pee. Order another round and I'll be back in a minute." She nodded and I hopped off the stool. You know how people say you never realize how drunk you are until you stand up? Well it would be wise to listen to them because they're right on the money with that observation. I stumbled a few times while I made my way through the crowd. Random people kept having to catch me and stand me back up. It would've been embarrassing if I wasn't so damn wasted. I just giggled and said "Sorry". Most of them were good sports about it.

100 Monkeys' first set was coming to a close as I finally made it to the bathroom. After I'd relieved myself, I decided I needed a smoke and headed out to the back. I hadn't been out there long when I heard the door open.

"Hey I guess great minds think alike," Jerry said while he lit his cigarette and came to stand beside me. "So Boss Lady, how'd we do?"

"Damnit, Jerry. I said not to call me that."

He laughed. "Sorry."

"I'll forgive you but just this once and only because you guys kicked major fucking ass up there tonight," I said with a huge smile on my face.

"Who kicked major ass?" Graupner and Jackson were standing behind us. Graupner was grinning and Jackson just kind of looked uncomfortable.

"Oh well both of you did," I said and laughed nervously.

"Damn straight," Jerry said and went to talk to Graupner.

Jackson took Jerry's place beside me, but didn't say anything. I felt awkward so I thought some forced small talk would be better than the uncomfortable silence. "You guys were great," I said looking down.

"Yeah? Thanks." I watched his feet turn towards me and I slowly looked up at him.

"Thank you again for letting them do the show with you guys. It was really amazing of you to do that for them."

"They deserved it. They're fucking awesome. I had a great time watching them," he said and shifted his weight to the other foot. The awkwardness was driving me crazy so I decided to stop fucking around and just say what I needed to say.

"Look I'm really sorry for the way I reacted. I don't want things to be weird with us. I'd like to still be your friend if I could. I just need you to know that I was fully aware of the risks and complications having a relationship with you might bring and I was prepared to at least give it a shot because I really fucking like you, but I'd rather have you as a friend than nothing at all, as lame as that sounds." I chuckled and then sighed. "I guess what I'm saying is, as much as I hate it, I respect your decision."

He looked at me the same way he'd looked at me in the bar. It was so powerful that the only thing I could see where his green eyes as I stared back at him. Nothing else in the world mattered at that moment.

_Holy shit I really want to kiss him right now._

As much as I didn't want to, I tore myself away from his gaze and cleared my throat. When I looked back at him, he was looking down.

"So are we ok?" I asked.

"Always," he said and smiled that amazing smile. I couldn't help but glance at his lips. Those glorious lips and that tongue…

_Jesus I have to get away from him before I jump him. That would put a damper on the whole friend thing._

"Well I'm gonna go back in. I told Stacy to order a round like twenty minutes ago and I'm sure she's probably drank mine by now," I said a little too quickly and then laughed a little too loudly.

He chuckled then said, "I'll go with you if you don't mind. I could use a shot."

We walked back in, but he got surrounded by a bunch of girls asking for pictures and autographs. He smiled and obliged, ever the gentleman. I wasn't sure what I should do so I just hung back while he did his thing. I told myself it was because I didn't know if he'd wanted me to wait on him, but I think it had more to do with the fact that I was slightly jealous of the gorgeous blonde that was hanging all over him.

I was standing there in that hallway when the reality of the situation hit me. I _did_ have trust issues with men. I _was_ insanely jealous of the blonde at that moment and it _was not_ fair to Jackson. He was doing what made him happy. The last thing he needed was to have a girlfriend who hounded him every minute about where he was and what he was doing. I hadn't changed my mind about how I felt about him and how much I wanted a relationship with him, but I felt better knowing that the decision to be just friends was more about him and his happiness than mine.

I had successfully convinced my mind that what I was doing was best. The only thing left was to convince my heart.


	5. Live and Learn

**I am so, so sorry this is late…but it's here! Chapter 5 gave me tons of trouble but I'm actually really thrilled with the final result. I hope you guys will be too. **

**I just want to say how much I appreciate you guys not completely hating me and refusing to read anymore because of the events of the last chapter. Things are not really completely resolved with Rhiannon and Jackson in this chapter but they're looking up. Yay! **

**Starchick7003 and Tima83…YOU ROCK MY SOCKS! **

Chapter 5: Live and Learn

I tried to ignore the annoying ringing coming from my nightstand. I tried putting my pillow over my head and even humming to drown out the noise but nothing was working. Whoever was calling me was being fucking relentless and showed no signs of stopping any time soon. So even though all I wanted to do was stay wrapped in my own little world of pillows and comforters, I decided to save my sanity, I needed to answer the phone. I grabbed my phone and glanced at the caller I.D.

_Stacy?_

"What the hell Stacy? Some of us are still trying to sleep," I whined when I'd answered.

"I'm sorry but I need you to do something for me," Stacy whispered.

"What? Why are you whispering?" I was annoyed and confused which is never a good combination.

"Just listen to me. I need you to come get me."

"Come get you? Where are you?" I started to get a little worried that she might be in jail or something. When I'd left last night, she was beyond wasted and still chatting with Graupner at the bar. Maybe _flirting_ with Graupner at the bar was a better way to describe it.

As soon as that thought entered my mind, I knew exactly where she was. A really big smile started to spread across my lips. "You went to the hotel with Graupner last night, didn't you? Did you sleep with him?" She didn't say anything. "Oh my God, you did!" I couldn't help but laugh.

"Shut up!" she hissed. "I was drunk and he was so…I don't know, charming, I guess. Anyway, I rode here with him so my car is still at Boudreaux's. I want to get out of here before he wakes up. Can you please come get me?"

"Yeah," I snorted. "I'll pick you up in 15 minutes ok? And then you're going to tell me everything." I laughed again.

"Whatever. Just get here," she said and then hung up.

I jumped out of bed and abruptly felt dizzy.

_Ugh…I feel like shit._

Last night had been one of the best and worst nights of my life. On one hand, the shows by both, Abolish Luck and 100 Monkeys were absolutely amazing. I couldn't have asked for a better crowd and we'd even been booked again at Boudreaux's and landed another gig with 100 Monkeys in Dallas the following weekend. Everything was perfect as far as the band was concerned. With me and Jackson…not so much.

I'd tried to act as normal and friend-like as possible after we'd made our peace last night, but I was still seriously upset. I knew that deep down inside I'd never be able to truly be his friend because I'd always want more, but I didn't want to lose him completely either. It was a fucking exhausting emotional rollercoaster that I just wanted to get off of. That wasn't an option though because that meant I'd have to cut all ties with Jackson and even if I could stop being selfish for two seconds, I wouldn't just be hurting myself, I'd be hurting the band as well.

I shook my head, steadied myself, and went to my closet to get something to throw on. After I was completely dressed and ready to go, I texted Stacy to tell her I was on my way and to wait outside for me. The last thing I needed in my state of mind was to end up running in to Jackson.

The whole drive I felt like at any moment I was going to have to stop on the side of the road to puke.

_What the hell is wrong with me? _

I pulled up at the hotel and immediately saw Stacy waiting for me outside. As soon as she saw my car, she came jogging up to it and quickly got in. I decided to wait until we were moving and she couldn't get out, to question her about her night with the infamous Graupner.

As I was backing out of the parking spot I saw Jackson. He was standing just inside the doors talking with a very pretty young girl. They were standing very close together and he had his arm around her shoulders. I couldn't tell what was being said but it looked pretty serious.

_It looks like Graupner's not the only one who got lucky last night._

"Rhi, watch out!" Stacy yelled.

I didn't even have time to slam on the brakes before I backed right in to a parked car.

_Holy fucking shit…_

There was no one in the car and we weren't going fast enough to hurt anyone or ourselves so at least I could be thankful for that. However, I was not thankful for the fact that as soon as I'd hit the car, the obnoxiously loud alarm started blaring across the parking lot drawing way more attention than I wanted.

"Jesus Rhiannon! What the hell is the matter with you?" Stacy was yelling at me, but she sounded like she was muffled. I tried to take deep breaths to calm myself but I couldn't seem to suck in enough air.

"I'm sorry, Stace. Are you ok?" I said shakily.

"I'm fine. Are you ok? You look a little pale, Rhi."

I nodded and tried to smile. God, I felt horrible but I just figured it was because of the shock that I'd just done something so stupid.

I turned to get out but was stopped by a couple of guys banging on the window asking if we were hurt. I rolled down my window and reassured them that we were fine. We got out and I almost fell. One of the nice gentlemen who had been so worried about our safety caught me before I could completely fall down. I thanked him and insisted again that I was ok and then stepped to the back of my car to survey the damage. There was a dent on the left rear bumper of my car and an even bigger dent on the right front bumper of the other car.

"Are you ok?"

I looked up to see Jackson standing there, concern written all over his face. He looked funny though, like there was a black hole or something surrounding him. I wondered briefly if I had been given any drugs last night and didn't know it. I blinked several times but couldn't seem to get rid of it.

"Um yeah. I'm fine." I felt my face flush.

_Well at least I know my heart is fine since there's blood still pumping to my fucking face._

"What happened?" he asked.

"I backed in to this car," I said as I gestured to the car I'd just hit.

"Yeah I know that. How did it happen?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but I couldn't get any sound out and I still couldn't get a good breath. I felt like my lungs were going to burst.

"Oh my God my car!" I turned towards the source of the voice and saw the girl that Jackson had been all over standing there, horrified.

_Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse…_

"This is your car?" I managed to choke out. I could not believe my luck.

"Yes! How the hell did this happen?" she yelled.

Suddenly I felt like my legs weighed a ton so I held on to my car for support.

"Amelia, calm down," Jackson said.

"Are you fucking kidding me Jackson? This idiot just hit my car!"

Their voices sounded muffled now too.

_What the fuck is going on with me?_

"I'm really sorry," I said quietly. I felt myself getting really light headed and knew I needed to get back to the car and sit down before I fell down. Maybe if I could just sit down for a minute I'd be ok. Unfortunately my legs didn't seem to want to cooperate so instead of walking smoothly to the car like I'd hoped, I felt my legs wobble a bit and then give out.

I braced myself for the pain of the impact, but it never came. Instead I was being slowly lowered to the ground by a pair of strong arms gripping me around the waist.

"Rhiannon? Baby, look at me. Are you ok?" Jackson's voice sounded so far away. He positioned me in his lap sort of cradling me like a baby. I tried to look at him but the black hole seemed to be swallowing up his entire form. "Stacy!" I heard him yell and then everything went black as I slumped to the ground.

"She's severely dehydrated and anemic," A man's voice said. He sounded like he was very close to me but I couldn't see anything.

_That's because your eyes are closed dumb ass._

I opened my eyes slowly. The first thing I noticed was a man in a white coat standing right next to the bed I was laying in. At first I was extremely confused. Then everything came flooding back to me.

_There was a car. Yeah, I'd hit a car. Then Jackson was there and the girl…The girl that I'd seen Jackson with. It had been her car that I'd hit. She yelled at me and I guess I must've blacked out. _

After I'd remembered what happened, it took all of two seconds for me to realize that the man in the white coat was a doctor and I was in the hospital. Standing right next to the doctor was Jackson. He was facing away from me and next to him was Evan.

_Evan is here? Jesus, how long was I out?_

I felt pain in my arm and noticed I had an I.V. I moved my arm slightly and grimaced. "Ouch," I said. Jackson and Evan whirled around to face me at the same time. It scared me and I jumped, moving my arm and causing another stab of pain where the I.V. was.

Jackson grabbed my hand and smiled. "Hey there, beautiful."

I smiled weakly back at him and the doctor cleared his throat and motioned for Jackson to get out of the way so he could come closer to examine me.

"Miss Grey, I'm Dr. Holt. Do you know where you are?"

"The hospital?" I whispered. My throat felt so dry. I tried to clear it but caused myself to cough instead.

"Yes ma'am. Do you remember anything?" Dr. Holt said as he shined a light in my eyes.

"Um yeah. I think I might have passed out or something."

"That's right," he replied as he scribbled something on the paper he had attached to a clip board. "We ran some tests while you were unconscious and I was just going over the results with your boyfriend and brother."

_Boyfriend?_

I looked at Jackson and he winked at me.

He went on to tell me the same diagnosis he'd told Evan and Jackson. Turns out that I had been consuming way too much alcohol lately and not enough food. Add all the stress I was under with work and then the shit with Jackson and my body just threw a fucking temper tantrum. He told me they were going to keep me for a little while to get some fluids in me but I should be able to go home in a few hours.

After Dr. Holt left, I tried to sit up. I was still so weak that my arms shook violently when I put any weight on them. Evan held up his hand for me to stop and grabbed the remote attached to the bed that moved it up and down.

"Tell me when," he said as he pushed the button.

When I was satisfied, I nodded to him and he placed the remote in my hands and smiled. "It controls the TV too," he said. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm ok, I think," I said. "Can I have something to drink?"

Jackson jumped up and went to the sink. He returned with a glass of water. "Do you want ice? I could call the nurse."

"No, this is fine," I insisted and took the water from him. I gulped it down. I finished half of it in the first drink. After taking a breath I downed the rest of it.

"Do you want more?" Jackson asked.

"Please," I answered and smiled.

While he was making me another glass of water I glanced at Evan. He was glaring at Jackson. I couldn't figure out why he would be so angry with him but decided I'd ask him later.

"So how did I get here and how did you know what happened?" I asked Evan and took a sip of my water. Jackson pulled a chair up next to the bed and took my hand in his again.

"Stacy called an ambulance when you passed out and then called me," Evan said flatly staring at mine and Jackson's hands. I looked at Evan questioningly but he just shook his head.

"Where _is_ Stacy?" I hadn't seen her at all since I woke up.

"She had to stay to give the police your information because of the wreck and then go get her car but she just called a few minutes ago to say she was on her way," Evan answered. He forced a smile. I wasn't buying it. I knew he was just trying to keep me from getting upset. It made me that much more curious as to what his problem was with Jackson.

"She was pretty worried about you. We all were," Jackson broke in. I looked at him and was surprised to see him staring Evan down.

I'd had enough. "Ok, what the hell is the matter with you two?"

"I'm sorry Rhi but I need to get out of here for a little bit or I'm gonna do something really stupid," Evan said and got up to leave.

"No, wait Evan." I tried to stop him but he just kept going. I jerked my head towards Jackson. "What is going on?"

"You don't need to worry about it," he answered but wouldn't look me in the eyes.

"Fuck that, Jackson. Out with it."

He sighed, but gave in. "He blames me for what happened today and so does Stacy. As a matter of fact, Stacy's the one who told him it was my fault," he said looking at our hands.

"How could it possibly have been your fault?"

"Stacy said you were staring at me when you crashed the car and that's why you weren't paying attention. She said you seemed upset by what you saw." He finally brought his eyes up to mine. "There's nothing going on between me and Amelia. She's kind of a friend of Graupner's. They slept together a few times and she's a little crazy. I think she is under the impression that they're dating or something, I don't know. Anyway, she heard he'd taken someone to his hotel room last night and came up there to start shit so I was trying to calm her down. I'm sorry if you thought something else was going on."

I sat there feeling the worst I'd felt all day for being such an idiot. I had assumed and you know what they say about people who assume…

"You don't owe me an explanation, Jackson," I said. "Because, unlike what the doctor apparently thinks, you're not really my boyfriend so you have no obligation to defend yourself." I laughed nervously.

"I know but I wanted you to know. And I had to tell them I was your boyfriend because it's the only way they'd let me ride with you to the hospital."

_He rode in the ambulance with me?_

I started to say something about how incredibly sweet that was when Stacy walked in. She glared at Jackson for a second and then smiled at me. "Hey, you're awake."

I smiled in return. "Yeah apparently I won't be dying today," I teased.

"Damn, that's too bad. I had the perfect dress to wear to your funeral." We laughed.

"I'm gonna go call Marty to let him know you're ok," Jackson said as he stood and let go of my hand.

"You don't have to go," I sort of whined. I hadn't meant for it to sound that way and felt stupid for acting so needy.

He smiled and leaned down to kiss my forehead. "I'll be right back."

When he was out of the room, Stacy took his seat. "I figured he'd be gone by now," she said and made a disgusted face.

"About that, why the fuck did you tell Evan it was Jackson's fault we wrecked?" I demanded.

"Because it was. The mother fucker was all over that Amelia girl and you saw them. We would've never had the accident that caused you to pass out if you hadn't been upset about that." She looked at me defiantly. "Tell me I'm wrong."

"Ok, you're wrong. You should actually be thanking him. He was stopping Amelia from finding you and beating your ass. She was there because of Graupner, not Jackson." She looked confused so I continued. "Amelia and Graupner have apparently slept together a few times and she believes that means they're in a relationship. Jackson was just trying to calm her down before she went all psycho bitch on you." I took a deep breath and winced when the pain returned in my arm. "The accident was my fault and the reason I passed out is because I'm dehydrated and anemic which is also my fault."

She just sat there dumbfounded. "I'm sorry," she finally said. "I guess I fucked up."

"Yeah I guess you did," I said. I looked at her but she was looking at the ground. She looked so upset. I hadn't seen her like that in a long time. It made me realize that I needed to chill so I cut her a break. I smiled slyly and leaned up a little to get her attention. "You could do something to make it up to me though."

She looked surprised, but hopeful. "Anything."

I smiled again and replied, "How was the sex with Graupner?"

"Oh my God, you fucking pervert." She rolled her eyes and laughed.

"Come on! You owe me."

"I don't owe you shit!" she said. "Besides, I'm not having this conversation with you in the fucking hospital. We'll talk about it when I'm good and ready. _If _that ever happens." I un-wrapped my middle finger for her and she laughed.

We continued to laugh and talk for a bit though she wouldn't tell me what I really wanted to know. I figured that was my payback for all the kissing and _not _telling I'd had with Jackson.

I was just about to say something about how long Jackson had been gone when he returned. He was not alone and not empty handed. He had a bouquet of gorgeous wildflowers and a rather large nylon balloon that said "Get Well Soon". With him were Jerad and Graupner.

As soon as Graupner walked in, Stacy's face flushed bright red. I'd _never_ witnessed Stacy be embarrassed by _any_thing, much less a guy. I looked at her but she refused to look at me. The whole thing was just way too weird and I was bound and determined that as soon as I could get Stacy alone she was _going _to tell me exactly what her fucking deal was.

Jerad was carrying a big 24 bottle pack of water. He looked at me as he sat it down. "This whole dehydration thing will not be happening again, understand?"

"Yeah, you scared the hell out of us," Graupner added. I realized that this was the first time I'd ever seen him completely serious about something since the moment I'd met him. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know that I meant so much to them.

I smiled sheepishly and mumbled, "I'm sorry." Then I spoke louder, "I didn't mean to scare anyone."

"It's ok, baby girl," Jackson said as he placed a vase with the flowers in it on the table next to the bed. He then tied the balloon on the bed railing and smiled big when he met my eyes. "Do you like them?"

"I love them," I said and smiled back at him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome darlin'."

I wanted to be happy that he was with me at that moment. I wanted to be giddy again at all the pet names he was calling me and the affection he was showing me. I wanted to have hope that maybe he'd changed his mind and wanted to be with me. I could've easily let myself fall in to that delusion. But I knew I wouldn't be able to stay there. He was only here now because I'd been sick. He was worried about me but that didn't mean he'd changed his mind.

"Rhi, snap the fuck out of it," Stacy said as she waved her hand wildly in front of my face. I felt unbelievably embarrassed as I realized I'd been full-on staring stalker-style at Jackson. I looked away but caught his little smirk out of the corner of my eye.

_Great. Now he thinks I'm a freak._

I shot Stacy a look of warning to which she quietly giggled in response to and then tried to occupy my eyes with the designs on the white blanket I was covered up with to keep from looking at Jackson again. Uncomfortable silence ensued for what seemed like an eternity, but in reality probably only lasted a minute or two.

"So did they give you any good drugs?" Graupner spoke up. Thank God for Graupner. He could diffuse any situation with his off the wall humor.

I smiled and relaxed a little. "Nope, just fluids and a prescription for Iron supplements." I shrugged.

"Iron supplements?" Jerad asked. "I thought you were just dehydrated. What is the iron for?"

"She's anemic too," Jackson said and sat down on the bed. He moved his hand to mine and entwined our fingers. I knew that I'd regret it later but I just let myself enjoy it.

We continued to make small talk until something very important dawned on me. I was so preoccupied with what had happened and emotionally exhausting myself with the tug of war that was me and Jackson that I hadn't even thought about how late it was getting.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"It's 3:30. Why?" Stacy said.

My eyes grew wide. "Oh my God, Jackson. You guys were supposed to be on the road thirty minutes ago!" A panic attack was threatening to take over me. He caressed my arm with his fingertips, soothing me.

"Don't worry, ok? We had to move some things around but we've got it worked out. We'll be leaving early tomorrow morning." He grinned at me while he continued to rub my arm.

"I am so sorry. I've caused you guys so much trouble," I said.

"We _wanted _to stay, Rhiannon," Jerad stated. "It wasn't like we could've left even if we'd wanted to. Jay made it clear that he _was not_ leaving you like this."

I looked at Jackson and, judging from the look on his face, I gathered Jerad had said something that he wasn't supposed to.

_Is his face turning red?_

He avoided eye contact with me but had plenty of it for Jerad. After the staring contest had gone on long enough, Graupner cleared his throat and stood.

"I guess we should probably get going. I'm fucking starving," he said and smiled at Stacy. "You hungry?"

She looked like she wanted to say yes but started to turn him down. I interrupted her before she could, "You should go Stacy. I'm sure you haven't had anything to eat because of all this mess and the last thing we need is for you to occupy the bed next to me in here. The nurses would go home and blow their brains out if they had to deal with both of us," I teased. "Go. I'll be fine."

"Rhiannon's right. You should go. I'll stay with her," Jackson chimed in.

I nodded in reassurance.

"I am a little hungry, I guess," she said and turned towards Graupner. "Ok let's go."

Stacy walked up to the bed and hugged me. "Thank you," she whispered in my ear. I smiled and winked at her.

"You owe me details bitch," I said. I hadn't realized how loud I said it until I caught sight of Graupner's evil little smile. I was just thankful Stacy couldn't see it. She would've beat my ass right then and there.

"Yeah, yeah," she said and rolled her eyes.

Graupner hugged me next and thanked me as well.

_Hmmm…maybe they like each other more than they want to let on._

The goodbyes ended with a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek from Jerad. He motioned to the water before he walked out and gave me his best serious face. I promised him I'd take better care of myself earning me a big smile from him.

After everyone was gone Jackson took the seat next to the bed and scooted it as close to me as he could get it. He picked up my hand, smiled, and kissed it sweetly but his smile faded almost as quickly as it had appeared.

"What's wrong?" I asked afraid I'd done something to upset him.

He looked at me and unleashed the full power of those amazing green eyes. "You really scared me today," he whispered never breaking his gaze. "I didn't know what was wrong and I couldn't get you to open your eyes. I felt helpless and I don't ever want to feel that way again. It was fucking terrible."

He laid his head down on the bed next to my shoulder and I ran my fingers through his hair. "I'm so sorry, Jackson." I wanted to say something else to bring that smile back to his lips but I didn't know what. I was just so overwhelmed by the fact that it had affected him so much.

We stayed that way for a while and I guess I must've fallen asleep because when I woke up Jackson was standing by the door talking to someone. It sounded like a pretty heated discussion.

"I'll take her home, Jackson. Don't you have some groupies to go fuck?"

_Evan?_

"I already told you what that was about and I told Rhiannon too," Jackson spat.

"She was dumb enough to believe you?" Evan asked.

"Don't fucking talk about her like that, Evan. You can say whatever you want about me, but not her."

"Don't act like you give a shit man. You fucking blew her off just last night and she sees you this morning with some fucking whore and you feed her some bull shit story. Well I'm not buying it and when I've said my peace to Rhiannon she won't believe you anymore either." Evan started to step around him but Jackson caught his arm.

"Dude, you better get your fucking hand off of me," Evan seethed.

"She's sleeping. You want to take her home? Fine, but you're not gonna go over there and wake her up to yell at her about me."

"If you don't let go of my arm right now I'm gonna beat your fucking ass."

Well this had gone on long enough. "Shut the fuck up Evan."

He looked at me, clearly shocked and maybe a little embarrassed.

"How dare you talk to him like that? He wouldn't have blown me off, as you put it, if you hadn't told him all that shit about our Father. As far as the girl goes, I believe him but even if I didn't it's none of my fucking business because we're not together. I have no claim to him. If he wanted to go off and fuck every girl in the state of Louisiana, I wouldn't have a right to say a damn thing and neither do you. The point is, it doesn't matter if I was upset about what I saw or not, the blame for what happened today is mine and mine alone." I crossed my arms to show him I meant business. "Now you can either stop being a dick or you can get the hell out. Your choice." Evan was being stubborn and childish and I was so sick of him acting that way about Jackson. I wasn't going to listen to it anymore.

He half-sighed, half-growled and went to sit down next to me. When he was seated he mumbled something but I couldn't quite make it out.

"What was that?" I asked.

"I said I'm sorry, ok? To both of you." He looked at Jackson, but quickly looked away. I could tell he wasn't _really_ sorry about what he'd said to Jackson but it was nice of him to apologize anyway.

"That's ok man," Jackson said. "Never apologize for taking care of your sister. It's what brothers are supposed to do." He smiled and even Evan smiled a little.

"Ok so now that we've got that out of the way, why were you guys fighting about taking me home? Have I been released?"

"Yeah," Evan answered. "I called Mom and she said her and Tom are coming home from Vegas early tomorrow because she wants to come take care of you so I figured I'd take you over there and we could just hang out and spend the night so Mom wouldn't have to come to your apartment. What do you think?"

"I have to work tomorrow Evan," I protested.

"Actually you don't, hon," a pretty brunette nurse said as she came walking in to the room. "Doctor's orders that you take tomorrow to rest. No work." She handed me a stack of papers with my discharge directions and my diagnosis fact sheets along with a work excuse and my prescription for the Iron supplements I was going to have to take. After she'd explained it all to me and removed my I.V. she told me I could get dressed and leave whenever I was ready.

"Are you going to need some help getting dressed?" Jackson asked. Evan shot him a look and I laughed.

"No, I think I can manage. Thank you though." I pulled the curtain around my bed and pulled the bag with all of my stuff in it out of the drawer and started to get dressed. I almost fell a few times but did relatively well considering how weak I still felt…until I pulled back the curtain. I don't know how it happened but I tripped over something and fell right in to Jackson's arms.

"Are you ok?" he asked, worried, but that worry turned in to confusion as he realized I was laughing.

"I'm such a fucking klutz," I said through my laughter.

He stood me back up and chuckled. "Are you good now?" he asked and smirked at me.

_Damn him and his sexiness. _

"Yep," I smiled. "I am pretty hungry though." It was close to 6 o'clock and all I'd had in the way of nourishment was saline. I was pretty sure my stomach was trying to eat itself by now.

Jackson turned toward Evan and said, "Do you mind if I take her to get something to eat? I can bring her to your parents' house afterwards."

Evan thought about it for a second and shrugged. "Whatever. I guess just call me when you're heading over, Rhi." He kissed me on the top of my head, shook Jackson's hand, and left.

We made our way to the doors and stepped outside. I might've enjoyed the fact that I wasn't breathing in hospital funk if it hadn't been so hot and humid outside. Jackson was carrying the flowers and balloon while a really nice security guard carried out the pack of water so that Jackson could have a hand free to make sure I didn't face-plant on the way to the car. The car…Wait!

_Didn't he say he rode in the ambulance with me?_

"Jackson, exactly what car are we supposed to be taking since you didn't drive here?"

"Stacy drove the guys back to the hotel. Jerad left the keys to the rental with me when they left," he said as he pushed the unlock button and the car beeped. I looked in the direction of the sound and saw the Lexus. Oh how I loved that car.

Jackson put everything in to the back and thanked the security guard for his help. He then helped me in to the car. Once he was in and started the car to get the air going, he turned towards me and asked, "What sounds good to eat?"

I thought about it for a minute and decided what sounded the best was something made at my own apartment. I could relax and take a shower. Oh yeah…a shower sounded amazing.

"Honestly? I think I'd just like to go home and make something there."

He looked disappointed. "Ok, if that's what you want to do, we'll do it."

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing, really. I just wanted to take you to get something to eat and then maybe go back to the hotel so I could take care of you for a little while."

My heart started beating faster as I thought about me being in Jackson's hotel room with him…

"Jackson I really wanted to take a shower and I don't have any clothes with me to change in to, otherwise that would be a great idea," I replied.

"I have clothes. They'd be big on you but it would work for now."

"That's great except I'm sure you don't have an extra bra or pair of panties lying around, do you?" I expected that to be the end of it. I thought he would say I was right and take me to my apartment. What he said next shocked the holy hell out of me.

"No but you don't have to wear them."

_What?_

He laughed as he took in the expression on my face. "I'm kidding, Rhiannon. You could send Stacy to get you some clothes."

"I guess that could work. I'll see if she's still there, but can we just go ahead and go to the hotel. I feel really icky."

"Ok, do you want to just order a pizza?"

I smiled and nodded. Pizza did sound pretty fucking good.

I called Stacy on the way to the hotel and sure enough she was still there. She met us outside for the key to my apartment and left saying she'd be back as soon as she could. As much as I enjoyed the idea of wearing Jackson's clothes, I told Stacy to grab me something to wear in addition to the underwear. Once we were inside and in the elevators, I tried to relax a little. I was about to be in Jackson's hotel room with him, alone. Everything was so weird, I didn't know whether to be excited or what. I kind of hoped we'd end up talking about last night and what happened today, but also hoped we wouldn't so I could just live in my fantasy for a little while longer. I'm a glutton for punishment, I suppose.

We stepped out of the elevator and were met by the Ben's. Graupner took the water from Jackson, while Johnson wrapped me in a big hug.

"I'm sorry I didn't come and see you. I just figured you'd have your hands full with Graupner, Jared, _and _Jay there," Ben J said as he hugged me. He stepped back and smiled. "You look like you feel better though."

"Yeah, I feel a lot better."

"She'd feel even better if she could get a shower and eat something," Jackson said not-so-subtly hinting that the conversation was apparently over.

"Alright, Jay. I just wanted to check on her."

Graupner followed us to the room and sat the water down. He then kissed the top of my head and winked at me as he headed back out. Once we were alone, I started to feel nervous.

_Ugh, calm down Rhiannon. Deep breaths…_

"What kind of pizza do you like?" Jackson asked snapping me out of my calming breathing exercises.

"I like just about everything as long as it doesn't have peppers and onions on it," I answered hoping that my voice wouldn't shake.

"Ok. Pepperoni?"

"Sure."

"I'll order it while you take a shower," he said and smiled. "Do you need any help getting _un_-dressed?" He raised his eyebrows and smirked.

"Jackson!" I laughed and threw a pillow at him. "Friends do _not _un-dress friends."

"They do if they're friends with benefits," he retorted earning him another pillow to the face. "Oh, that's it!" He lunged at me on the bed. I screamed and moved out of the way just in time to keep from being pinned underneath him. He growled which distracted me for a second because it was really fucking hot and he was able to get his arms around my waist before I could fully get up from the bed. I screamed again and he laughed. He rolled me over until I was laying with my back against the bed and he was hovering over me. He had both my wrists pinned above my head and my legs were spread while his knees were about 2 inches from my lady parts. We were laughing and breathing hard from the activity. My shirt had come up a little in the struggle and was exposing my belly. I blushed and tried to shimmy my butt from side to side a little bit to bring it down since I didn't have the use of my arms but it wasn't working at all.

Jackson's eyes slowly moved down my body and rested on my stomach. He released my wrists and grabbed my shirt slowly pulling it back down while running his fingertips against my skin. He looked at me again and this time he wasn't smiling at all. The expression on his face was mirroring what I was feeling: desire. He leaned down and kissed my forehead, then my cheek followed by the other cheek before planting one on my lips. The kiss on my lips only lasted a few seconds but it was so soft and sweet. I would've loved nothing more than to continue those kisses but I'd already put my heart through enough for one day so I pulled my legs in and scooted myself up in to a sitting position on the bed.

Jackson sighed and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that."

"It's ok," I assured him trying not to sound as broken up about it as I was.

He was all I wanted but I'd never have him. I blinked back the tears and forced a smile, trying to act normal.

"I'm gonna go take that shower now," I said.

_An ice cold shower, that's for sure. _

I slid off the bed and went in to the bathroom. Once the door was closed I took a deep breath and scolded myself for being so stupid. I should never have come to the hotel with him. I was going to be daydreaming about the moment we'd just had for weeks. How was I supposed to stop having feelings for him if I couldn't stop putting myself in the position to fail at it? I continued to think about that as I showered. I took an extra-long shower because I needed that time to sort everything out in my head. By the time I finished, I had decided to get dressed and tell Jackson that I just wanted to go ahead to my parents' house. I needed to get away from him or I was afraid I wouldn't have the strength to stop myself if we somehow ended up in a compromising position again.

I wrapped myself in a towel, opened the door, and poked my head out. "Jackson?" I called.

There was no answer so I stepped a little outside the door. I called for him again but there was still no answer. I spotted my clothes on the bed so I decided I'd go grab them real quick and then run back to the bathroom.

I had just grabbed the clothes off the bed when the door opened and Jackson walked in. I was so startled that I accidentallylet go of the clothes and the towel and they fell to the ground, leaving me standing there completely naked.

I froze. My mind was screaming at me to do something, pull up the towel, but I couldn't seem to make my body cooperate. I don't know how long we stood there looking at each other before Jackson finally took a step forward. His movement broke me out of whatever haze I was in and I leaned down to pull up the towel as fast as I could. I wrapped it around me and then bent back down to collect the clothes off the floor. Jackson bent down in front of me to help me and ended up grabbing my panties.

_Fuck! How much embarrassment can I stand today?_

At least I could be thankful that Stacy brought attractive looking underwear instead of granny panties or something. He smiled as he handed them back to me and I felt my face grow hot again. I went to the bathroom and got dressed quickly. I walked back out but didn't see Jackson. As I got back to the beds I noticed he was standing at the door talking to someone. I realized pretty quickly that the pizza had arrived and that he'd been talking to the pizza guy when he turned around and had the box in his hands.

He raised it up and smiled. "Pizza's here."

My former plan of telling him to go ahead and take me to my Mom's was dashed. There was no way I was going to be rude enough to let him order pizza for me and not eat it so I joined him at the small table by the window.

"I don't really have plates or anything," he said and shrugged.

"That's ok. Do you have napkins?"

"I think so." He got up and started searching the drawers until he found a package of paper towels. He sat them down on the table and then took his seat.

We ate in silence for a few minutes and then he looked up at me. "Rhiannon, I…" he trailed off.

"You what?" I asked.

He sighed and sat his piece of pizza down on the box. "I need to tell you something."

_Uh-oh…Here we go._

My mind started racing with a zillion thoughts going at once. I just knew he was going to say that we couldn't even be friends because I was so obviously obsessed with him since he'd caught me staring at him so many times. Or he'd say things would be too weird with us because thanks to my dumb ass he'd just seen me naked. I wanted to get up and run from the room but I tried my best to just sit and hide the war that was raging inside my head.

"I know that we said we were just going to be friends and I apologized for kissing you earlier, but I didn't mean it. Any of it. I don't want to just be your friend and I'm not sorry I kissed you. I wanted tokiss you and I want you, insecurities and all." He glanced at me and then looked out the window. "But I'm not sure how you feel. I never really was until you told me last night that you liked me. I haven't been in this situation for a long time and I don't like not knowing where I stand. So I guess I want to know exactly how you feel about me."

To say I was surprised would be a gross understatement. I just sat there staring at him. On one hand I wanted to jump and scream and do the happy dance until I had thoroughly embarrassed myself for all of eternity, but on the other hand I wasn't sure if his change of heart was because he had been so scared by what happened to me today. I knew I had to say something though so I tried to explain everything as best I could.

"I do care about you Jackson and I want to be with you. I'm sorry if I didn't tell you that. I guess I just assumed you'd know. But I don't know if us being together right now is the best thing." His face fell so I quickly continued. "I'm not saying never. I just don't know about right now. Maybe we need some more time to get to know each other better and just see how it goes without the pressure of a relationship."

He nodded, thinking about it. "That actually sounds like a good idea," he said seriously and then a smile started tugging at his lips. "But I'm pretty sure I know every inch of you since I just saw you completely naked." He winked at me and laughed. I gave him my meanest bitch face and threw a pizza crust at him.

"Don't make me come over this table, Rhiannon," Jackson warned. I picked up another piece of crust and raised my eyebrows at him.

"Don't do it," he said.

"Or what?" I mocked him.

Before he could answer I threw the crust at him. He tried to duck but it got him on top of the head. I giggled and got up to do a victory dance, but the poor dance was short-lived because the next thing I knew I had been tackled and Jackson was laying on top of me on the bed. I tried to fight him but there was no way I was ever going to be able to overpower him. I made sure he knew I was there though and to me that was a small win. We struggled, rolling around on the bed laughing and grunting, until we ended up in the same position we were in after the pillow fiasco. This time however he didn't pull my shirt back down. Instead he pulled the shirt up and placed feather-light kisses all over my stomach and up to my breasts. I ran my fingers through his hair and pulled him up to me. He teased me for a minute, just brushing my lips with his before he finally kissed me. That kiss was worth the wait though. My God, it was fucking hot. It was so urgent and passionate I thought I might cum without him having to touch me at all. Pretty soon our hands started to wander and somehow I managed to get his pants unbuttoned and my handin to his boxers without even realizing I was doing it. I was so in to the kiss that I probably wouldn't have known then had it not been for Jackson pulling away from me and moaning. I decided to just go with it and started moving my hand up and down on his dick. I quickly realized that Little Jackson wasn't little at all.

"Oh fuck baby," he breathed. "That feels so fucking good."

"Yeah?" I asked. He only nodded and moaned a little louder as my pace quickened. I watched his face and found myself getting really turned on. I found my confidence at that moment and decided to take charge.

"Lay down," I commanded. His eyes fluttered open and he looked at me in surprise. I squeezed his dick gently and whispered, "Don't make me tell you again." I felt like a Mistress or something just minus the whips and chains. A lovely pair of handcuffs might be nice to have right now…

He obeyed, rolling over so I could position myself for what I wanted to do next. I straddled him first, kissing him and dry humping him. Somehow we got his shirt off in the process though I can't tell you how. When I felt like I had him good and riled up, I started kissing him down his body. When I was right over his dick I licked my lips and ran my tongue from his balls all the way up his shaft. His head fell back against the pillow and his breathing sped up. I ran my tongue up his shaft again, but this time I circled the head with my tongue. I continued that action a few more times until I felt like I had teased him enough. I took him in my mouth just a little at first and then more each time until I had as much as I could get in there. He put his hands on my head as I moved it up and down on his cock. I cupped his balls and opened my throat to get his dick further in.

"Oh shit Rhiannon…Oh fuck," he whispered. He did that growl thing again and it turned me on more making me go faster. It didn't take long at that pace for his body to start to shake. "Oh…Oh my fucking God…Baby girl, I'm gonna cum." His hands went to my hair and tugged gently. I went even faster in response and before I had time to think about anything at all he was cuming in my mouth.

I wasn't a head-giving virgin but I also hadn't done it that much and had never gotten a guy off doing it. I had only done it during foreplay so I had no idea what it would taste like. To my surprise, it really wasn't that bad. It wasn't fantastic but it didn't make me want to throw up either, which was a good thing. After he had settled back down on the bed he looked at me and smiled lazily. "Where did that come from?" he asked while he buttoned his pants back up.

I shrugged and smiled. "I guess I just wanted to make sure you knew how I felt," I said.

"Um, yeah. Message received loud and clear," he said and laughed. He took a deep breath and blew it out. "That was fucking amazing."

He leaned up to kiss me but I backed away. I didn't know if he'd really want to kiss me since I had just swallowed his cum, but he sat up and smiled reassuringly as he pulled my face to his and kissed me. It was another one of those unbelievably sexy kisses that left me panting when he pulled away. I was about to go in for another one when my phone rang.

_I'm gonna throw that thing out the fucking window!_

I groaned and Jackson laughed. It was on the fourth ring by the time I'd drug my ass over to it and answered. Of course it was Evan…

"What Evan?" I snapped.

"What the hell took you so long to answer?" he shot back.

"None of your fucking business. What do you want?"

"It's after 8, when are you planning on heading over?"

I would've laughed at the wording if I hadn't been so damn irritated. "When I feel like it," I said flatly.

"Stop being a bitch Rhiannon and give me a straight answer please."

"Ok, fine. I'll be on my way in a few minutes. Happy?"

"Yeah I am," he chuckled.

I hung up on him and sat the phone back down.

I sighed heavily and turned to make my way back to the bed but Jackson was already standing up and putting his shirt back on.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"For what? You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Well you're leaving tomorrow and we haven't really talked that much about what's going on with us. I mean if we're just kind of seeing how it goes, what does that make us? It's just so confusing, Jackson."

"I don't know what that makes us. All I care about is the fact that there _is_ an us. We can figure everything else out later, ok?" He kissed my forehead.

"Ok," I said and smiled like a fool. I was so happy at that moment with him that all I wanted to do was stay there forever. Unfortunately I knew we couldn't. I got my stuff together as he cleaned up the pizza mess and then we left the room and headed to the elevators.

I'd wanted to tell everyone good bye, but Jackson said he would pass along the message instead of us having to make the rounds.

He held my hand the whole drive and gave me a hell of a kiss to remember him by for the next week we'd be apart.

"Please be careful, ok?" I said as we stood outside the car at my Mother's house.

"We will. You be careful too. I don't ever want to be scared like that again," he said, all hints of humor gone from his face and eyes. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, pulling him to me. I didn't say a word as I kissed him. I teased him a few times, barely poking my tongue out before I let it go completely in to his mouth. I guess he liked it because he pinned me against the car and kissed me harder. I lifted one of my legs up to rest on his hip. He rubbed his hand up my leg and in to my shorts but he didn't go where I wanted him to go. Instead his hand went straight to my ass and squeezed.

_I guess he's an ass man._

I reacted to him groping my ass by pushing my hips forward and introducing Little Jackson to my clit again.

"Oh shit baby, I really wanna fuck you right now," he whispered in my ear. I was just about to suggest we climb in to the back of the car when Evan started turning the porch lights on and off like I was a fucking teenager or something. This time we both groaned.

"I'm gonna beat his ass," I said.

Jackson laughed, kissed me quickly, and then got in the car. I stood there and watched him as he drove away, knowing I wouldn't get to see him again until at least Friday, if not until Saturday. I started to get depressed but reminded myself if we were ever going to make a relationship between us work, I had to get used to not seeing him as much as I'd like to.


	6. Meet The Grey's

**I really, really like this chapter. You guys will meet her Mom and "Dad" (Tom) and get some insight in to what she grew up with. I'm really anxious to find out what you guys think of it.**

**There's also some really important convos between Jackson and Rhiannon. Good stuff, people!**

**MUCH LOVE to my Beta, Tima83, and my pre-reader, Starchick7003, for all that you guys do.**

**~o.O.o~**

**Chapter 6: Meet The Grey's**

"Please tell me you kicked Evan in the balls or something," Stacy said.

I laughed and pulled the phone away from my ear. I had just made it up to my room after yelling at Evan about the fucking stunt he'd pulled with the porch lights. I was way too riled up to sleep so I had decided to call Stacy to try and calm my nerves.

"No nothing like that, but the night is still young," I laughed. "I do have some good news concerning a certain beautiful Texan man." I waited for the squeal. I didn't have to wait long.

"What happened? Rhi, you have to tell me!" I imagined that she was probably standing up in her ridiculously huge living room with a glass of wine in her hand pacing back and forth in front of the marble fire place.

"Well it's kind of hard to explain. I'm not even sure I know _how _to explain it."

"Well try," she demanded.

My mind drifted back to the brief conversations we'd had that day concerning our feelings and to be honest, there really wasn't anything decided. He admitted that he hadn't meant it when he said he wanted to just be friends. He said he wanted me, "insecurities and all", as he put it. Then I'd shown him exactly how much I cared about him…I giggled internally at that thought.

I was smiling to myself when Stacy's voice abruptly pulled me out of my happy place.

"Hey!" she yelled.

"Shit Stace! I hear you."

"Well then answer my damn question," she said.

"Remind me what it was?" I laughed when she sighed.

"Tell me what the fuck happened! Explain your relationship. Give me something."

"There's not a relationship, Stacy. We're just seeing how everything goes," I insisted.

"What does that even mean?" She wasn't even attempting to hide her annoyance.

"Well we talked about…wait." Something had just occurred to me. "Not so fast, bitch. Why should I give you details about me and Jackson when you refuse to give me details about you and Graupner?" 

"Oh that is _so_ not fair, Rhi."

I giggled and then said, "So are you in the sharing mood or what?"

"No." I could tell she was pouting by the way she said it.

"Why? What is the big deal?" This wasn't my friend. She never had a problem dishing about guys she'd slept with. "Do you like him or something?"

She scared me by laughing loudly. I had to pull the phone away from my ear to keep my ear drums from bleeding.

When she'd finally calmed down enough to answer, she said, "No, it's nothing like that. I just…I don't know. I did…things with him that I've never done with anyone else and I just don't really feel like hashing all that freaky shit out."

Now it was my turn to laugh. I laughed so loudly that I'm sure she'd had to do the same thing I did when she laughed.

"Hardy har har," she said without amusement. "Laugh it up bitch."

"I cannot believe it!" I said through my laughter. "You _have _to tell me Stacy. Were there chickens and Vaseline involved or is that a little too kinky?" I couldn't help but laugh again. I didn't know Graupner was such a freak.

"See this is exactly why I didn't want to say anything to begin with. I knew you were going to be like this about it. Can you just let it go? Please?"

"Really? You're mad because I find this funny? I don't know why you can't just tell me." I was starting to get a little frustrated.

"Because it's embarrassing, Rhi. Please just let it go," she said and though I didn't really want to let it go, I could tell she was really uncomfortable so I decided to give her a break.

"Ok Stace," I surrendered. "I'm officially letting it go. For now."

She let out an exasperated sigh, but said, "Thank you. Now spill."

I tried to explain exactly what Jackson and I were but couldn't. All I knew is that I couldn't wait to see him again. After I hung up from Stacy, I got ready for bed and went to sleep. It was weird, but oddly comforting sleeping in my room at my mom's house. I hadn't slept here in three years but it felt like I'd never left.

I woke up to my phone ringing at 7:15 the next morning. I was pissed at first until I saw that it was Jackson.

"Hey you," I answered sleepily.

"Hey baby." He sounded just as tired as I felt. "I'm sorry I woke you up, but I just wanted to tell you we're heading out."

"Ok," I yawned. "Be careful and call me when you get there please. Or you can text me if you don't have time to call."

"I will. Get some sleep."

"Will you try to get some rest too?" I knew he hadn't gotten much sleep while he was here what with the whole driving all night to surprise me followed by the party at Eddie's and then the show. He needed to stay healthy just as much as I did.

"I'll try, baby girl. I gotta go."

I lay back down on my pillow after we'd hung up, but there was no way I was going back to sleep. So I just laid there. I stared up at the ceiling thinking about the many things that had happened over the last few weeks. Obviously, some were good and some were bad, but most were good. I felt more secure in what Jackson and I had but I couldn't figure out why. It was the most confusing it had ever been but it just kind of all made sense. Whatever the hell would happen, I knew right now, in this moment, I was happy.

I looked at my phone and saw it was 8 o'clock. I needed to call Linda to let her know I wouldn't be in today. I dialed the number and after just a few rings, she picked up.

"This is Linda Carter."

"Linda, hey, it's Rhiannon," I replied.

"Rhiannon, hon how are you feeling?"

_How did she find out? Oh. Mia._

"I'm feeling much better but the doctor wanted me to take today to rest. As much as I hate it, it looks like I won't be coming in today."

"Of course, sweetie. You just get yourself well and we'll see you tomorrow," she said.

"Thanks Linda." I had probably the best boss that ever lived.

"You're welcome."

I decided to just go ahead and get up since it was obvious I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep this morning. I would just tell Jackson I'd gotten some sleep so he wouldn't worry.

I got out of the bed and walked over to my vanity and sat down in the chair. It squeaked and wobbled a little bit because it was so old. I smiled as I looked in the mirror and pulled my hair up. I couldn't believe how much I was enjoying being at home.

After I was dressed in sweat pants and a tank top, I headed down stairs to make some breakfast. I was still pissed at Evan so I figured with it being so early, maybe he wouldn't be up yet. He didn't have to be at work until 2:30 since he worked second shift at Dowty's Machine Works as a CNC machinist. His "interim career", as he called it.

I stepped off the stairs and rounded the corner in to the kitchen. To my surprise, there stood my brother, making coffee.

"What are you doing up?" I asked, not bothering to hide the disappointment and frustration.

"Well good morning to you too, sunshine," he chuckled and held out a cup of coffee. "Mom called. They'll be landing in an hour so she wanted me to come pick them up."

"Why can't I just go get them?"

"You're not supposed to do anything, but rest. Remember? Doctor's orders," he smiled as I finally took the cup of coffee from his hand. I took a sip and of course it was perfect. As much as I wanted to hate him for a little while longer, I couldn't help but smile. Evan always made the best cup of coffee and it had been forever since he'd made me one.

He smiled in return and poured himself a cup.

"I'm still mad at you," I said trying to look serious.

"Yeah I figured that. Well are you calm enough to discuss it now?"

"I was calm enough last night, thank you very much," I insisted.

"No you absolutely were not. I couldn't make out one word you were screaming at me, Rhi."

Sometimes I hated the nickname he had for me. According to my mom, it was the only way he could say my name for the longest time because he was only 3 when I was born and my name is hard enough for an adult to say, much less a child. Anyway, the name kind of stuck and even a few of my friends had picked it up. It didn't mean I liked it though. I felt like it made me sound like a child.

"I was pissed off, Evan. You treat me like I'm some horny teenager by turning on and off the porch lights and I'm supposed to what? Thank you?" My anger was building again.

"I wasn't about to sit and watch my little sister get fucked on the hood of some rental car," he shot back.

"Well you didn't have to watch," I said flatly.

"God, you're such a bitch." He sighed and sat down at the bar. I stood with one hand on my hip and the other holding my coffee. I wasn't about to give in. He'd embarrassed me by refusing to stop treating me like a kid and I'd had enough. He looked up at me and said softly, "I just have one question. Why him?"

"Why _not_ him, Evan? What do you have against him?"

"I just don't want to see you get hurt, Rhi. He's a rock star. What do you think he does after shows? He goes and fucks groupies, parties, and generally does whatever the fuck he wants to. What if he got you pregnant or something? It would be Dad all over again. Is that what you want?"

In all the years it had been since our father left for good, I'd never once considered how hard it had been for Evan. I had been so incredibly selfish. Not only was there trust issues with me but obviously there were with him as well. I guess I had been so blinded by how it hurt and affected me that I didn't see what it had done to Evan.

"Listen, I understand that you believe you're helping me but you're not." I sat down next to him. "I really care about Jackson. You wanna know why him?Well there's the obvious that he's freaking gorgeous and ridiculously talented, but there's a lot more to him than that. He's kind and gentle not to mention funny and romantic. I can sit and have conversations with him about anything and everything for hours. But more than any of that, I feel comfortable with him. Like I can be myself and feel like it's…enough_._ " I thought about what I'd just said and realized that it was something I should've said to Jackson because it was exactly how I felt about him.

"Wow," Evan said, snapping me out of my thoughts. "I don't think I've ever heard you talk about a guy like this before. Ever."

"Yeah, well…" I couldn't seem to come up with anything amazing to say so I just let it go.

"Ok, if that's the way you feel then I'm sorry about last night and I'm going to leave you alone about him, I swear." He crossed his heart with his finger and smiled.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I promise."

"That's all I wanted. If I'm making a mistake, let me find out for myself," I said.

He just nodded and hugged me. "I need to get dressed. Do me a favor and just relax, ok? I don't want mom thinking I can't take care of you."

"Yeah, yeah." I shooed him away with my hand and finished my cup of coffee. I got up and made a bowl of cereal and took it to the living room. I settled down in Tom's recliner and turned on the TV. After channel surfing for a few minutes, I gave up on finding anything interesting and just settled on some insanely stupid talk show. While I watched people yell and throw things at each other, Evan came bounding down the stairs, kissed me quickly on the top of my head, and then ran out the door.

"Be careful!" I yelled after him. I finished my cereal and went to the kitchen to rinse out the bowl and put it in the dishwasher. I wasn't feeling all that well, so I turned off the TV and went back up to my bedroom. I crawled back in to my bed and laid down. My eyes scanned the walls taking in the soft ball trophies, various music posters, and shelves of pictures and stuffed animals. My mother was so sentimental about everything her children owned she refused to change anything about our rooms.

I felt my eyelids getting heavy so I put my headphones in and turned my iPod on, going immediately to my mellow playlist that consisted of lots and lots of Stevie Nicks. I think "Gypsy" had just begun when I finally fell asleep.

I was dreaming of Jackson. Not a naughty dream, thank God, but just an amazingly sweet dream. We were holding hands and walking along a rocky beach. I couldn't tell where we were, but where ever it was, it was cold because we were dressed in layers. Although it was a rocky and cold beach, it was incredibly beautiful. The sun was setting and we had stopped to watch it. He turned me around and brushed the hair away from my face. My eyes locked on his and he smirked. He opened his mouth and licked his lips.

"Rhiannon," he said, only it wasn't his voice. His lips had moved but that voice didn't belong to him. It belonged to…

"Mom?" I rasped.

"Yes, sweet girl. It's Mom."

I opened my eyes and sure enough there was my Mom sitting on my bed. She was smiling which made me smile right back. My mom had the most beautiful smile in the world.

"How are you feeling?" she asked.

"I'm ok. What time is it?"

"It's a little after 11. Tom, Evan, and I stopped off to buy you a Get Well present. We couldn't seem to agree on anything in particular, so you got something from each of us." She laughed and sat a bag down on my bed.

"Mom, you guys didn't have to do that." I sat up and hugged my mother. No matter what other shitty things happened in my life, I knew I could count on my mom and Evan completely. They were everything to me.

I opened the bag and pulled the first thing out. I immediately laughed when I looked at it.

_This has to be from Evan._

It was a T shirt that said, "How many licks does it take?" and had a picture of the owl from the old Tootsie Roll Pops commercials.

"I told him that was very inappropriate, but he insisted," she shrugged as I sat the T shirt down.

The next thing I pulled out made me want to scream. I couldn't believe I had all three of _The Lives of the Mayfair Witches_ books by Anne Rice in my hands. I stared at my mom all wide-eyed.

She laughed and said, "Those are from Tom, but he bought them while we were in Vegas before we knew you were sick. I told him he cheated."

I laughed with her and then pulled the last thing out of the bag. It was a blue box with a white rose on the lid.

"This is from me." She watched me as I opened it. Inside was the most beautiful locket I'd ever seen. There was nothing incredibly special about it, except that it was a Claddagh silver locket. The Claddagh is an ancient Irish symbol that means love, loyalty, and friendship. It is symbolized by two hands holding a heart with a crown over top of it. I'd always wanted one of the rings since I was in fact Irish. I fell instantly in love with the locket.

I hugged my mother and squeezed her tight. "I love it, Mom! Where did you find it? I thought no one around here sold it."

She smiled slyly. "Ok, I confess I cheated too. I ordered it three weeks ago and it just so happened to have come in today. Your brother felt left out so we stopped so that he could get you something too. He said you two had a fight?"

"Yeah but it's no big deal." I tried to play it off.

"He said it was about a boy. Specifically that Jackson boy that got the Boudreaux gig for the band."

Yeah she wasn't going to let it go.

"It was. He doesn't like the idea of me liking Jackson but Mom, I can't help it. He makes me happy." I smiled as I thought about him.

"Well I just hope you know what you're getting yourself in to. He's not exactly what you're used to dating," she said. "But if he makes you happy, I hope it works out."

See? Best mom ever.

I hugged her again and she stood up. "I'm making BLT's for lunch in just a bit. You should shower and then come down and eat."

She laughed at the huge smile spreading across my lips. She knew BLT's were my favorite and I couldn't make them like she could.

_If being in the hospital and feeling like shit didn't absolutely suck, I'd be sick more often._

Once she was out of my room, I grabbed a towel and a pair of jeans along with the new T shirt Evan had gotten for me. I went to my dresser and pulled out a fresh pair of panties and a clean bra. My mom had insisted that we leave some clothes at the house just in case we needed to stay there for something and washed them every few weeks to make sure they were fresh. I'd always thought it was silly but I silently thanked her as I made my way to the bathroom.

After I was showered and dressed, I used my mother's gel to style my hair and opened one of the many toothbrushes she kept under the sink for visitors and brushed my teeth. I put the locket on and gave myself a quick look in the mirror. I couldn't help but smile as I looked at the locket around my neck.

I headed down the stairs being pulled by the smell of the bacon cooking. It was a little after 12 now and I was fucking starving. Just the thought of one of my mother's BLT's had me salivating. I sat down at the bar.

"Where's Tom?" I asked.

My mother didn't turn as she said, "He and your brother are outside working on the Accord. Evan says the breaks are squealing so Tom insisted that Evan let him take a look. I tried to tell them both that they were going to sweat to death but no one ever listens to me." Her arms were flailing as she talked, throwing grease off the spatula and on the counter next to the stove.

"Mom, careful," I said and went to stand beside her.

"Oops." She chuckled and grabbed a towel. She quickly cleaned up the mess and then returned to the bacon. "Can you grab me a plate and put some paper towels on it? This batch of bacon is just about ready."

I nodded and went to collect the things I was asked to get. As I was sitting the plate down next to my mother, Evan and Tom came walking in drenched in sweat. My mother took one look at them and shook her head.

"I told you so," she sang under her breath. Evan walked right up to her and wrapped her in a sweaty hug. "Evan!" She squealed and pushed him away.

"What's the matter mom? You don't like my hugs?" He feigned disappointment and hurt. She laughed and shoved him playfully, making Evan, Tom, and I laugh too.

"Well look who's feeling better," Tom said as he came to stand beside me. He hugged me. "Your mother and I were very worried about you."

"I know but I'm good now." I smiled. "Hey, thanks for the books. They're amazing."

"So you didn't already have them? Kathy said she didn't think you did, but we weren't sure and I didn't want to call and ask because that would have ruined the surprise."

"They're perfect."

"Hey, you're wearing the shirt I got you," Evan interrupted and slapped me on the back.

"Ow!" I pinched his arm. "Of course I'm wearing it. It's the shit!"

"Rhiannon Amelia Grey, you watch your language in my house. Do you understand me?" My mother stood by the stove with her hands on her hips. She looked at me with that stern "Mom" face I absolutely hated when I was a kid.

"Yes, Ma'am," I said but as soon as she'd turned around Evan chuckled under his breath. I pinched him again which made him laugh harder. "You stink, Evan. Go take a shower. I promise I'll save you a sandwich." I smiled an evil little smile.

"Yeah, right," he scoffed.

"Well you and Tom at least need to wash your hands," Mom chimed in. "Lunch is almost ready." She was carrying the plate full of bacon to the island where the plates of tomato slices and lettuce were already set up. "Can you toast the bread, Rhiannon?"

I jumped up and headed to the cabinet where the toaster was at and got to work on my task. Tom and Evan went to the bathroom to clean up and by the time they got back we were just about done with the sandwiches. They sat down at the bar while Mom placed a sandwich in front of each of them and smiled. Tom leaned in and gave my mother a quick kiss on the lips and then dug in to his BLT. She turned and spotted me trying to make my own sandwich and gave me the stern face again. She pointed to the empty bar stool and said, "Sit. You've already done too much. You're supposed to be resting."

"Mom, I'm fine. Really," I insisted but she just shook her head and pointed to the bar stool again.

_I guess I know where my stubborn-ness comes from._

I sat down and she went to work fixing the mess I'd made of my sandwich. It didn't take long before she sat the plate down in front of me and smiled.

I took a bite and sighed. "Now that's how you make a BLT," I said.

Mom joined us a few minutes later and we ate our lunch and chatted. Evan and I filled Mom and Tom in on how the show went and how I managed to let myself get dehydrated.

"You really should cut down on your drinking, Rhiannon," Tom said.

"Oh I plan to. I definitely do not want to end up back in the ER," I assured him. I wanted to get the subject off of me so I turned to Evan and said, "Tell them about Dallas." I smiled big and nudged him.

"We've got another show with 100 Monkeys this Saturday night in Dallas. You and Tom should come. You guys could meet Jackson." He looked at me and chuckled when he saw the look on my face.

"What's wrong, sweet heart?" My mom looked concerned.

"Um. Nothing. Nothing's wrong," I said and forced a smile.

Thankfully she didn't push it. "I think we just might. Tom, what do you think?"

"Sounds good to me," he said in between bites. "But Kathy, you know you're going to hear your son cuss and make sexual innuendos right? It is a rock show after all, honey."

"I know, Tom. I've been to a few shows. I know what they do." She rolled her eyes and smiled. "I said there would be no bad language in my house. I never said anything about anywhere else." She stood up and started gathering our plates.

Evan wrapped his arms around our mother and squeezed her tight. This time she didn't seem to mind the sweat all that much.

"Go take a shower, Evan Jacob or I'll hose you down myself," she laughed. Evan planted a big kiss on her cheek before he took off to the bathroom.

Tom and I went to sit down in the living room while Mom cleaned up the lunch mess. We turned on the TV but couldn't agree on anything so I decided to just go get one of my books and read while he watched whatever sports show had him interested. I realized I'd left my phone on the table by the bed when I reached down to grab the bag with the books in it and spotted it sitting there. I looked at it and saw that I had three unread text messages.

_Hey beautiful. Are you up? – J Action_

That one had been sent at 9:30 am. I silently cussed myself for going back to sleep and missing a chance to talk to Jackson. I opened the next one that had been sent ten minutes later and it was also from him.

_I guess you're still sleeping. I'll just call you later. – J Action_

The last one was from Stacy wanting to know what time I'd be going home today. I sent her a text first letting her know it would probably be this evening before I could pull myself away from my Mom. Then I texted Jackson.

_Hey, I'm just now seeing your texts. I'm sorry. – Rhiannon_

I almost immediately got a response.

_No problem. I'm glad you were resting. Are you just now getting up? – J Action_

_No, but I did sleep late. My mom woke me up a little after 11 and we just got done eating lunch. – Rhiannon_

_I miss you. – J Action_

I stared at my phone with a huge smile on my face.

_I miss you too. – Rhiannon_

_Friday night, right? – J Action_

_Yes, sir. Oh and my parents are coming to the show. Is that weird? – Rhiannon_

_Why would it be weird? My parents aren't coming to the show but they are coming to see me Saturday before the show. – J Action_

"Oh my," I said out loud. My parents were coming to the show and his parents were going to be there earlier in the day. We weren't even officially dating and we were already going to meet each other's parents? I tried to calm myself down.

_Oh ok. – Rhiannon_

That was the best response I could come up with? I threw my hands up and shook my head.

_What's wrong baby girl? – J Action_

_Nothing. It's just weird to me, I guess. – Rhiannon_

_Well we'll talk about it later. It's my turn to drive. – J Action_

_Ok. Call me later? – Rhiannon_

_Yes Ma'am. – J Action_

I smiled as I closed the text conversation. I jumped when I heard a light knock on my door. I turned to find Evan standing there obviously amused at himself for scaring me.

"What?" I snapped.

"Texting Jackson?" He smirked.

"Not that it's any of your business, but yes. Now what do you want?"

"Well we need to talk about the plan for this weekend so I was wondering if you could call a meeting for tonight when I get off work."

"Yeah, I could do that. Around midnight?" I asked.

"That's perfect. I gotta go though. I told Mia I'd come by the office and see her for a minute before I went to work. Text me and let me know if it's a go for everyone else." I nodded and he took off down the stairs.

I grabbed my book and went down stairs as well. I settled in to the couch while Tom watched his sports show and Mom played some game on the computer. We stayed like that for most of the afternoon. The only time I left the couch was to go have a cigarette and call the guys for the meeting. Everyone had agreed they could make it so I texted Evan to let him know we were on. Around 4, my phone rang. I squealed internally when I saw it was Jackson.

"Hi," I answered cheerfully.

"Hey. You sound happy," he said. He sounded tired.

"I am," I laughed. I grabbed my cigarettes and headed outside to the porch. "You don't though. Did you get any rest?" I took a seat on the steps and lit up.

"A little. I'm about to get some food and then I'll probably just crash after that," he said. "I wanted to call you though."

"I'm glad you did which is totally selfish of me."

He chuckled and said, "We're all a little selfish, baby. So why don't you tell me why you think it's weird that we'll be meeting each other's parents this weekend."

"Well isn't it obvious, Jackson? We're not even really together yet. I think we're going just a little out of order."

"Who said we had to do things in order? I actually like the idea of meeting your parents."

_Seriously? Apparently I'm the only one freaking out about this. Awesome._

"Ok. I'll try to stop worrying about it then," I said knowing I probably wouldn't be able to.

We talked for a few more minutes and then he had to go because Graupner was yelling "Pizza!" in the background. I smoked another cigarette while I tried to calm my mind and think of anything other than meeting Jackson's parents. What if they hated me? Would that mean that Jackson and I couldn't be together?

I shook my head and closed my eyes, remembering back to the dream I'd had this morning of Jackson, just minus my mother's voice. It was strange, but it worked. It actually calmed me down. I went back inside and insisted I help my mom with dinner. Once we'd eaten and cleared the table, it was close to 6 o'clock.

"Mom, I really need to get home."

"You could stay here again tonight. I'll make sure you get up for work," she said.

"I can't. I've got to meet with the guys tonight about this weekend and Stacy wanted to come hang out for a little while." I took in her look of disappointment and hugged her. "I'm sorry Mom. I'll come back over sometime this week for dinner, if that's ok."

She smiled and nodded. "You better make sure you eat healthy and drink something other than beer, Rhiannon."

"I will. I promise."

"And go get that prescription filled on your lunch break, do you hear me?" The stern face made another appearance.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Her face softened and she hugged me again. "Ok then. Make sure you've got all of your stuff. Tom is letting you borrow the Corolla while your car is getting fixed." She held out the keys and I took them. "You better thank him. He really likes that car so he's putting a lot of trust in you seeing as how you just wrecked your car."

I walked in to the living room and up to the back of the recliner where Tom was sitting. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and thanked him for letting me borrow the car and again for the books. After gathering my stuff and hugging my mom yet again, I headed home. I called Stacy on the way and she said she'd meet me at my house.

I'd only been home a few minutes when there was a knock on my door. It was Stacy, of course and she brought popcorn and sparkling water. She said she thought briefly about bringing wine, but decided she didn't really want to contribute to my alcohol problem.

"I don't have an alcohol problem Stacy. I just need to make sure I take care of myself when I am drinking," I said.

"Right. You know the first step is admitting it, Rhi," she teased. She laughed and ducked when I threw popcorn at her.

We were curled up on my couch getting ready to watch an old movie. This was something we did nearly every Monday night except usually it was at Stacy's house, not my tiny apartment. If we weren't watching a movie, we'd go out to dinner. Monday was just our day, I guess.

"So have you talked to Jackson today?" she asked raising her eyebrows.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well?" She leaned in closer to me.

"Well what, Stace?" I smiled innocently and she threw one of the accent pillows on the couch at me.

"You know what I'm fucking asking!"

I laughed. "Ok! Calm down. Damn." I thought for a second and then smiled. "You'll like this." I sat up and placed my water on the coffee table. "We're apparently going to be meeting each other's parents this weekend at the Dallas show." I watched as Stacy's eyes got really big.

"That's like _big_, Rhiannon. Are you nervous? I would be freaking the fuck out."

"Well I _was _feeling better about it until you said that," I said flatly.

"It's no big deal. We'll go shopping and get the perfect outfit. You're a southern girl so you're already polite. You'll be fine," she tried to assure me. Stacy was originally from Chicago and loved to make reference to my southern roots. At least I could be thankful the previous reference was a positive one.

"No more shopping, Stacy."

"Oh come on, Rhi! You've got to let me help you dress appropriately at least. I won't be able to be there to see it."

_Oh shit. Stacy's not coming?_

"You're not coming to the show?" I started to panic.

"I can't. I've got an open house Sunday morning. We'd never make it back in time," she said. "I'm sorry."

"No it's ok. It'll be ok," I chanted trying to convince myself more than her.

She finally talked me in to letting her take me shopping again and we planned on going Thursday when I got off work. My only condition was that we stay right here in Baton Rouge. Once she agreed we settled in to watch the movie.

It went off at 9 and Stacy headed home soon after. I thought about texting Jackson but I didn't want to bother him if he was finally getting some rest.

I decided to piddle on the computer so I got my lap top and sat at the bar in my kitchen. After checking my email and then my Facebook and Twitter pages, I went to the band's website and checked out the forum. There were 45 new forum entries! All of them were from people who had been to the show Saturday night and were telling the guys how much they enjoyed it and couldn't wait to see them again. There was one very sweet entry from a man who'd traveled from Kentucky to see 100 Monkeys and wanted to know when and where Abolish Luck's next show was going to be. I was so overwhelmed by the positive response I did a little dance and giggled uncontrollably.

After I'd composed myself, I went to work on a blog entry thanking everyone for their kind words and assuring them that they hadn't seen the last of us. I then updated the calendar with the Dallas show this coming weekend and the Boudreaux's show coming up at the end of August. From there, I started researching how much the Dallas show was going to cost us. I found a semi-cheap hotel and went ahead and booked it for the days we'd need it. For 3 separate rooms it only came out to a little over $360. After figuring in gas, food, and alcohol, the total came out to $650, give or take a little. That meant if we each threw in $130, we could pool the money together and pay for everything as a group instead of having to do the math on how much each person's part was for this or that. I decided I'd run that plan by the guys at the meeting. I glanced at the clock and almost fell out of the chair when I saw it was already 11:28.

_Where the hell did two and a half hours go?_

I gathered all the papers with the numbers written down and my lap top and rushed out the door. I felt only slightly guilty as I sped to Eddie's house. I needed to be careful in the Corolla, but I was running late.

When I pulled up, Evan was just getting out of his car and waved at me. I expected to see Mia get out, but she wasn't with him.

"Where's Mia?" I asked as I got out of my car fumbling with the papers and my lap top. He walked over to me and grabbed the lap top out of my hands so I could arrange the papers.

"We had a fight," he said and looked at the ground. "She's pissed because she can't go to the show this weekend and I guess she's afraid I'm going to cheat on her or something. She hung up on me so I figured that meant she didn't want to see me."

"Wow. I'm sorry, Evan." I couldn't really think of anything else to say.

He shrugged and then led the way inside Eddie's house. For the next hour we discussed the pricing and schedule. I _had _to work all day Friday since I'd missed work today so we decided I'd take my shit with me to work so we could leave as soon as I got off. Evan said he'd already told his boss he wasn't going to be able to come to work Friday night. All the rest of the guys had day time jobs that they'd be done with by the time we would leave. They all agreed on the money plan and even said if we were planning on doing the out-of-state thing again, we should probably just open an account or get a credit card for the band's expenditures. I agreed to start using my bank account and everyone promised to get their money to me by Thursday afternoon.

I called it a night at 1:15 and headed home. I still hadn't heard from Jackson, but I hoped it meant he was busy sleeping.

I climbed in to bed at 2 and fell quickly to sleep.

The rest of the week went by in a blur. Linda was happy to see me at work on Tuesday and thanked me for doing such a great job while she was gone. I figured that meant Mia hadn't told her mother about me decking her and I owed her big for that. She and Evan couldn't stay mad at each other and had made up before I could even say anything to her about it. I went to lunch with Mia on Wednesday and went to my parents for dinner. The guys got all their money to me and I deposited it all in my bank Thursday on my lunch break and then Stacy and I went shopping that evening after work. I'd talked to Jackson here and there, but we were both so busy that it wasn't nearly as much as I wanted to talk to him. I just kept reminding myself that I'd see him soon.

Thursday night after Stacy and I had shopped and then ate, she came back to my apartment with me to help me pack. She said I needed to be supervised to make sure I was taking the "right things", as she put it.

"What do you mean by right things, Stacy?" I asked as I watched her dig through my underwear drawer. "What the hell are you looking for?"

"Shut up! I saw it the other day when I came to get you some clothes. It was a little black silk nightie. Now where the hell is it?" She moved some more stuff around until finally she found it. She held it up and smiled. "Here it is."

"I'm not taking that, Stacy. I bought that when Greg and I were dating and I never wore it then. What makes you think I'm gonna wear it now?"

"Chill the fuck out, Rhi. I just have a feeling you might need it," she said and tossed it in to my bag.

I groaned and rolled my eyes but let her pack it. Once everything was packed that could be packed, we drank some wine and played Scrabble. Scrabble was my all-time favorite game and the _only_ game I could ever beat Stacy at.

Stacy called it a night around 11 so I decided I'd watch a little TV before going to bed myself. I was in the middle of a gripping CSI episode when my cell rang. I jumped for joy when I saw it was Jackson.

"Well hello there, cowboy," I answered, grinning from ear to ear.

He chuckled and it was music to my freaking ears.

"Hey baby girl. What are you doing?" he said.

"Nothing really. Just watching some TV before I go to bed. What about you?"

"Just getting back to the hotel. We went to get a few beers at some bar around here. Graupner started hitting on some girls so I just came back without him. He'll find his own way back. He always does," he answered.

"Graupner was hitting on some girls?" I tried to hide the fear in my voice.

"Yeah. Why?"

"So you weren't hitting on them?" This time I tried not to sound like I was accusing him.

"No." He sounded mad.

_I am obviously not a good actress._

"I'm sorry, Jackson. I'm trying here, you know?"

"Just answer something for me. Have I ever given you any reason to not trust me?" he asked, definitely mad.

"No, but –". I tried to explain but he cut me off.

"Ok. Are you ever going to be able to trust me?"

"Yes, but –". Once again I was interrupted.

"Good. That's all I needed to know." He sounded like he'd softened up a bit.

"Great. Now can I talk?" I asked sarcastically.

"Sure darlin'," he said with that adorable accent that made me melt.

_Ugh. Stupid Texan boy and his stupid sexiness. _

"I wouldn't say I was a stupid Texan boy but I do like the fact that you think I'm sexy." I could almost hear the smirk through the phone.

"Shit!" I couldn't believe I hadn't gotten a better control over my verbal filter yet.

He laughed and my face felt like it was on fire. I was really glad at that particular moment that he couldn't see me.

I cleared my throat and his laughter died down. "_Anyway_, I was just going to say that it had nothing to do with whether I trust you or not. The point is we're not really in a relationship so technically you're free to do what you want. I mean don't get me wrong, it's not like I want you to go hit on some girls at a bar but I really couldn't say anything if you did because I don't have a claim to you. Do you know what I mean?"

He didn't say anything at first and I didn't know what to do.

"We may not be in a relationship yet, but I'm not really interested in seeing anyone else, Rhiannon," he finally said.

As stupid as it sounds, I think my heart actually skipped a beat when he said that.

"I'm not interested in seeing anyone else either, Jackson," I whispered.

"Good," he said softly. "Now what are we going to do about that?" Dear God, his voice had dropped a little lower and sounded unbelievably sexy.

"I don't know, Barry White. What _are_ we going to do about that?" I teased.

He laughed loudly and then sighed. "I fucking miss you so much," he said.

"Well I'll be there tomorrow night," I assured him.

"Yeah and you're coming straight to my hotel room and I don't wanna hear a fucking word about it."

I laughed and said, "We'll see, stupid Texan boy."

"What about my stupid sexiness?"

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "Fine. I'll come there but I'm not staying the night."

He dropped his voice again, "We'll see about that."

We didn't talk for much longer since I had to work in the morning and we had the long drive to Dallas that afternoon. After we'd hung up, I got in to bed and thought about the upcoming weekend.

I was excited for the show and getting to see Jackson and the rest of the Monkeys I had come to adore so much, but I was also a little nervous for my alone time with Jackson. I remembered Stacy saying she had a feeling I'd need my nightie this weekend and then Jackson wanted me to come to his hotel room and stay with him tomorrow night. Was Stacy expecting me to sleep with Jackson this weekend? Was Jackson expecting me to? I was pretty sure Stacy did, but I couldn't be certain whether Jackson was kidding or if he was serious. Sometimes it was hard to tell with him.

I definitely wanted to sleep with him, but that had never been the problem. I just wanted things to be decided and now that they sort of were, I found myself questioning if that had really been the reason at all or if it was something else.

One thing I knew for sure, I needed to figure it all out before I saw him tomorrow night.


	7. Give and Take

**So I fail…so sorry this is a few days late. Been having a few issues with my internet then it was the 4****th**** of July…Happy belated 4****th**** to all of you! I hope you all had a great day!**

**Ok so we're getting to a very crucial part of this story…something you guys have been waiting patiently for…any guesses? You'll find out at the end of the chapter! Haha!**

**I've had several new people start reading this story recently and to them I say welcome to my obsession and thank you! To the rest of you, who have been following it from the start, THANK YOU! I hope I continue to keep your support.**

**As per usual…Thanks to Tima83 (the most awesome Beta who ever lived) and Starchick7003 (the best pre reader who ever lived) for all your help and encouragement! As Jackson would say, "Much love and respect"!**

**~o.O.o~**

**Chapter 7: Give and Take**

"I can't just leave my car at the office, Evan!" I stomped my foot like I was a 5 year old throwing a temper tantrum, but I was getting pissed. It was already 6 o'clock. We were supposed to have been on the road at least 15 minutes ago. The drive to Dallas was a good 6 hours and we were wasting time. I was ready to get there and see Jackson.

"Well you're bitching about the time and if we go to your apartment to drop off your car, we'll be even later," Evan countered.

"Or we could stop arguing about it and just do it. That would save some time." I folded my arms across my chest and raised my eyebrow. That was my universal "I'm not budging" stance.

"Evan, let's just do it so she'll shut up," Eddie broke in. "You know she's not gonna give in, man and I'm fucking ready to hit the road."

_They know me so well…_I smiled to myself.

Evan sighed and threw his arms up. "Whatever. Let's go."

I smiled and clapped, then got in to my car. As we drove to my apartment I watched Evan's car and the van we were taking the band's instruments and equipment in follow me close behind. I pulled in to my parking spot, grabbed my bag, and climbed in Evan's car. Eddie was riding with us while Jerry drove the van and Chris rode with him. I sank down in the backseat and inserted my headphones in to my ears. I turned on my road trip playlist and closed my eyes.

_Six hours and we'll be in Dallas and I'll be with Jackson._

Our talk the night before had been intense, but I was excited regardless. Whatever the weekend held, I was determined to have a good time with Jackson.

I thought briefly about the black silk nightie that was packed away in my bag and I blushed. I didn't know what I was so embarrassed about. It's not like he hadn't seen me naked and I hadn't seen his goods and had them in my mouth…

A car door slamming woke me from my apparent nap. I hadn't even realized I'd fallen asleep. Evan was pumping gas and had somehow gotten my debit card to pay for it while Eddie was inside I assumed buying drinks and snacks. I looked around for my purse and found it in the driver's seat. My wallet lay open so I grabbed it up and brought it back safe and sound in the back with me.

Eddie came back a few minutes later, but lingered outside a good distance from the pumps to smoke a cigarette. I decided to get out and join him.

"Hey, where are we?" I asked as I walked up to him.

"Just outside the Texas line," he answered and smiled. "Glad to see you're awake. It gets boring talking to just your brother. It's always 'Mia this' and 'Mia that'."

I smiled at his wording. Graupner had said those very words when he'd described how much Jackson talked about me.

"Well what do you expect? He's obviously smitten," I laughed.

"I think he's a little more than just smitten, Rhiannon," he said as he took a drag of his cigarette.

"Are you saying you think he's in love with her?"

"No, I'm saying I _know_ he is. I've seen him with other girls, but he's different with her. It's the only solution I can come up with." He shrugged and put his cigarette out on the bottom of his shoe. "I say to hell with women! No offense…"

"Yeah, none taken," I laughed.

I really couldn't blame Eddie for how he felt. He'd just divorced his wife, Melony. She was more interested in partying and doing drugs than she was a marriage with Eddie. I had tried to talk her out of leaving him, but she was just too far gone. She had begun to change when she started nursing school. The pressure of all her classes alone was enough but then soon after she'd started, her mother passed away and she naturally had to blame someone so she blamed the entire medical staff who had cared for her mother. Obviously it wasn't really their fault since her mother had been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and they did everything they could for her, but she blamed them nonetheless and that led to her quitting nursing school and spiraling in to the depths of depression. Enter the drugs and she was a goner.

It had been really hard on Eddie and he'd fought for his marriage as hard and as long as he could. He didn't really talk about dating though he had a lot to offer whatever lucky girl ended up with him. He was just a great guy, not to mention he wasn't bad-looking either.

He was very tall and lanky, but had the most adorable face. His bright green eyes seemed to glow from his face and he sported the long and shaggy hair style in dirty blonde. His skin was smooth and slightly tan and he had the whitest teeth I'd ever seen on anyone other than a celebrity. It was shocking seeing as how he smoked like a fucking chimney, but I figured maybe he whitened his teeth as one of his dirty little secrets.

We walked back to the car, laughing and cutting up. Jerry and Chris had gotten out to stretch their legs as well so when we got up to them, Eddie shoved Jerry playfully. Jerry retaliated and an all-out play fight ensued. It was hilarious because Jerry clearly out muscled Eddie, but Eddie was so tall it was like he was everywhere all at once.

Chris and Evan broke it up and everyone laughed as we headed to our separate vehicles. Once inside I tried to relax again, hoping I would fall asleep and kill the rest of the time. I'm not a very patient person and when seeing Jackson is involved, that patience dwindles down to nothing. Unfortunately I had no such luck. I sighed and tossed my headphones down in to my purse. I sat up and leaned in between Evan and Eddie.

"This sucks," I said and made my infamous pouty face.

Eddie patted me on the head. "Poor baby. Want some bad-ass music?"

I smiled really big. "You didn't bring it. Did you bring it?" He laughed and nodded his head in answer. He then reached in to his bag and pulled out the most awesome road trip CD there ever was. It put my playlist on my iPod to shame. It was a burned CD that had some of the most amazing songs. Just to name a few: "Go Your Own Way" by Fleetwood Mac, "Start Me Up" by The Rolling Stones, and "Paradise City" by Guns 'N Roses. Every time we'd ever go anywhere at least an hour away from Baton Rouge, Eddie would put that CD in. It was like our "On the Road" anthem music.

I giggled and clapped as he put the CD in to the player. As the first song, "Take It Easy" by The Eagles came on, Eddie and I started singing it obnoxiously loud.

_Well, I'm running down the road  
>tryin' to loosen my load.<br>I've got seven women on  
>my mind,<em>

_Four that wanna own me,  
>Two that wanna stone me,<br>One says she's a friend of mine.  
><em>

_Take it easy, take it easy.  
>Don't let the sound of your own wheels<br>drive you crazy.  
>Lighten up while you still can<br>don't even try to understand.  
>Just find a place to make your stand<br>and take it easy._

Evan groaned, but soon jumped in with us on the second verse.

_Well, I'm a standing on a corner  
>in Winslow, Arizona<br>and such a fine sight to see.  
>It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed<br>Ford slowin' down to take a look at me.  
><em>

_Come on, baby, don't say maybe.  
>I gotta know if your sweet love is<br>gonna save me.  
><em>

_We may lose and we may win though  
>we will never be here again.<br>So open up, I'm climbin' in,  
>so take it easy.<em>

I laughed as Eddie started dancing in his seat, but we all continued to sing.

_Well I'm running down the road trying to loosen  
>my load, got a world of trouble on my mind.<br>Lookin' for a lover who won't blow my  
>cover, she's so hard to find.<br>_

_Take it easy, take it easy  
>Don't let the sound of your own<br>wheels make you crazy.  
>Come on baby; don't say maybe<br>I gotta know if your sweet love is  
>gonna save me, oh oh oh.<br>_

_Oh we got it easy.  
>We oughta take it easy.<em>

As the song was going off and the next one was starting, my phone beeped. It was a text from Jackson.

_How far are you? – J Action_

"Hey, Evan. Jackson wants to know how far we are," I yelled over the music.

Evan reached up and turned down the volume. "Tell him we're about 35 minutes from Longview."

I texted Jackson letting him know what Evan said and within seconds I got a response from him.

_So you're about 3 hours away. – J Action_

_Yep! I'm ready to get out of this car. – Rhiannon_

_I'm ready for you to be here. You're still coming to the hotel right? – J Action_

_Yeah. We have to check in to ours first. Then I'll head that way. –Rhiannon_

_Good. Hurry. – J Action_

I smiled and put my phone back in my purse. I tapped Eddie on the shoulder and motioned for him to turn the music back up. He smiled and nodded. Within minutes the music was blaring again and we were dancing stupidly and singing every word.

We stopped briefly in Mesquite, TX for a bite to eat and then within 25 minutes we were crossing in to Dallas. I picked up my phone and called Jackson.

"Rhiannon! Please tell me you're outside," Jackson answered cheerfully.

"Not yet, cowboy, but we are in Dallas," I laughed. "We'll be getting to our hotel in about 5 minutes."

"So how long till I see you?" His voice did that sexy dropping down to almost a whisper thing.

"I don't know. Twenty, maybe thirty minutes."

He sighed. "Ok. Please hurry, baby girl."

I hung up and started to feel incredibly nervous. In just a few minutes I would be heading to Jackson's hotel room. I started to hyperventilate. I needed to calm down and there was just one person who could calm me down in this situation.

"Hello?"

"Stacy. I'm freaking out," I said as soon as she answered.

"What? Why?"

"About seeing Jackson. Going to his hotel room. Alone. With him." I wasn't sure if I was making sense or not. I glanced up towards Evan and Eddie and noticed Evan kept cutting his eyes at me through the rear view mirror. I waited 'till he did it again and shot him a look that could kill. He quickly returned his eyes where they needed to be, on the road.

"Rhi, just chill. Have you guys even made it to Dallas yet?"

"Yes! Why the hell would I be calling you if we hadn't?" I hissed, trying to be a little quieter so I wouldn't draw anymore un-wanted attention to myself. It sounded a little bitchy though and I hadn't meant for it to come out that way. I was just so worked up.

"Look, you need to just relax. I mean it's not like you're a virgin or anything," she said. I was thankful that she hadn't been a bitch about my attitude.

"No, but it's been a while…" I trailed off thinking about just how long it had been. Greg, my last boyfriend, and I had broken up almost a year ago. I'd had a date or two since then, but nothing serious and I wasn't the "casual sex" kind of girl. Most of my time had been spent with the band.

"Well it's just like riding a bike. Once you learn how to fuck, you'll always be able to." She found her analogy quite amusing and proceeded to laugh. I, however, was too wound up to find it funny.

"I'm serious, Stace," I whined.

"Ok, ok. I'm sure if you're not ready, he'll understand," she tried to assure me.

"But Stacy, I have no reason to _not_ be ready." I noticed that we were pulling in to our hotel and I cursed the heavens for my luck. I needed just a few more minutes with Stacy… "Shit! I gotta let you go. I have to check us in to our hotel."

"Ok, but seriously, Rhi. Either calm yourself down or come up with an excuse as to why you can't go over there," Stacy said. "You don't want him to see you all freaked out about it."

"Ok. I'll call you a little later. Will you be up?" It was a little after midnight and I didn't want to wake her up if she would be going to bed soon.

"If things go well, you're not going to want to call me. If things go bad, you're going to want to call, but you won't because you're the kind of person that likes to wallow in your failures. So basically I won't end up hearing from you until tomorrow no matter what happens."

I smiled. She was exactly right. "I'll call you tomorrow, well, later today," I snorted.

"Good luck," she said and I could tell she was smiling by the way her voice sounded.

"Yeah. Thanks."

I hung up and looked at Evan and Eddie. They were both looking out their individual windows being very careful not to make eye contact with me.

_Great. They heard everything and I am never going to hear the end of it._

I sighed heavily and got out of the car so I could go check us in. When everything was settled and ready to go, I returned to the car and directed the guys to where our rooms were. We parked and got out. The guys got to work unloading the luggage and a few of the instruments because they wanted to jam a little seeing as how we were all too keyed-up to sleep. No one would let me carry anything other than my purse.

Chris grabbed my bags and motioned for me to lead the way. Once we got to the door, I used my key and opened it up. He sat my bags down inside the door, smiled, and headed back down to his and Jerry's room. Evan and Eddie were sharing a room and I had mine all to myself.

"Thank you," I called after him. I turned around and looked at the room. It was your typical hotel room with horrible paintings and worse bed spreads.

I sighed and shut the door. I had to think everything through. Stacy was right. He didn't need to see me freaking out about it. He might get the wrong idea. It wasn't like I didn't _want_ to sleep with him. I did. I mean I _really_ did but something was bothering me. I wished I knew what it was but I couldn't seem to pin point it. My phone beeping from inside my purse startled me out of my deep thoughts.

_Are you on your way yet? – J Action_

I stood there for a minute debating whether I should just come up with an excuse to stay at the hotel but I quickly dismissed that thought. I wanted to see him. That much I was certain of.

_About to walk out the door. – Rhiannon_

_Ok. See you soon. – J Action_

I grabbed my purse and headed out of my room. I decided I wouldn't take anything with me so it would give me an excuse to come back to the room tonight. I knew I wasn't ready to have sex with him. As much as I was worried about it, I also knew he wouldn't be mad at me. He would understand just like he had before. Whatever we were, we really cared about each other and that meant more to us than sex. When the time was right, it would happen.

I walked down to Evan and Eddie's room and knocked on the door. Eddie answered.

"Hey there, Boss Lady," Eddie said with a smile. "Going somewhere?"

_And so it begins…_

"Maybe and cut that shit out. You're really starting to annoy me with the 'Boss Lady' nonsense. You've even got Jerry calling me that," I said as I pushed past him and in to the room.

"What about Jerry?" Jerry asked from the bed closest to the door. He was sprawled out on the bed looking at something on his phone.

"Nothing. Never mind," I answered as I propped up against the dresser. "Where's Evan?"

"He's in the bathroom," Chris said. He was sitting on the other bed with Evan's lap top in his lap. As soon as he'd said it, the bathroom door opened and Evan came walking out.

"Hey, Rhi," he said cheerfully. "What can I do for you?"

"I need your car."

He looked at me suspiciously. "Why?"

"Because I'm going to see Jackson," I said and busied myself with looking at one of the paintings.

_Jesus, where do they find these things?_

"Rhiannon's gonna get her some," Eddie laughed. Everyone but Evan joined in and I blushed.

I shot Eddie the death glare and then looked at Evan. He did not look happy.

"What?" I asked, annoyed.

He opened his mouth but then immediately shut it again. He just reached in to his pocket and pulled out the keys. He held them out but pulled them back in when I reached for them.

"You're coming back tonight, right?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yes, I'm coming back tonight. Ok? Can I go now?"

He nodded and put the keys in to my hand. I avoided eye contact with all of them as I walked out the door. I hadn't made it but just a few steps outside when Evan came out.

"Hey, wait," he said.

I stopped and turned around, really not in the mood to hear the bull shit.

"What is it?" I asked, clearly not happy with him at the moment.

"Don't hit me, but I heard your conversation with Stacy in the car," he started.

"Yeah, I figured you and Eddie both did. What about it?"

"Well I was going to say something to you then, but you looked so fucking pissed when you caught me looking at you –."

"Because you were eavesdropping on a private call you jack ass," I interrupted him.

"It wasn't really all that private, Rhi," he said softly.

I shook my head and threw my arms up. "Ok fine. Can you just get to the point please?"

"Yeah." He sighed and then looked me straight in the eyes. "I just wanted to tell you that I'm proud of you."

_Wait…What?_

He laughed at my obviously surprised expression. "It's just that I've seen you and Jackson together and I know the effect he has on you. The simple fact that you haven't fucked him yet shows just how strong you are," he explained. "I just think it's great that you're using your head and not doing something you're not ready to do yet. It gives me hope for you and Jackson's relationship." He finished with a smile.

At first, I really wasn't sure what to say. I just stood there in stunned silence. I couldn't believe I'd just heard him say what he said. It was just so uncharacteristic and unexpected.

"Thank you, Evan," I managed to say and then a smile started to spread across my lips. "That actually means a lot to hear you say that."

He smiled in return and then patted me on the back. "Have fun," he said and then disappeared back in to his room.

I smiled again and then took off in the direction of Evan's car. When I was inside the car, I turned on the GPS and typed in the address of the hotel Jackson and the guys were staying at. He'd given it to me the night before so I would be able to find my way there. When my course was set, I pulled out of the parking lot and drove in the direction of my destination.

I accidentally went past the turn in because I was too caught up in all the scenarios running through my head. After I'd cussed myself and turned around, I was finally pulling in to the hotel's parking lot. I chose the first open parking spot and pulled in to it.

My mind started racing with excitement and apprehension as I walked up the stairs to the second floor. Of course I'd parked on the wrong side so I had to walk all the way around before I made it to Jackson's door. I stood outside of it longer than I probably should have. I calmed myself with a few deep breaths and then knocked on the door. Seconds later, the door opened and there stood Jackson.

He smiled really big and moved out of the way for me to step in to the room. I only got partially through the door before he wrapped me in a hug. I breathed him in, committing that smell to my memory. He broke away from the hug but only far enough for our lips to meet. The kiss was so utterly mind-blowing that I didn't want it to end but the door was wide open and if we were going to continue kissing like that, it needed to be in private. I gently broke away from him and touched my lips with my fingertips.

"Um. We should probably close the door," I breathed.

He looked as disoriented as I felt. "Right. Sorry." He smiled and I felt a little jolt between my legs.

_Shit, Rhi. Get a hold of yourself._

I walked a little farther in to the room and sat down on the edge of the bed while he shut the door. I couldn't help but stare at his ass. The jeans he was wearing were a little tight and his white T shirt hugged the muscles on his chest. I found myself thinking back to the last time I was in his hotel room and the vision of him lying on the bed with his shirt off filled my mind.

"Rhiannon?" Jackson's voice pulled me from my day dream.

"Hmm? What? Oh. I'm sorry," I laughed and felt my face flush.

"I love it when you blush," he said suddenly and stroked my cheek with his fingertips.

I looked up at him and couldn't believe how green his eyes looked at that moment. He slowly got down to his knees and settled himself between my legs. He leaned in and brushed his lips against mine.

"Now where were we?" he said against my lips. He then kissed me softly and ran his hands up my arms and in to my hair. He pulled my face to his and kissed me deeply. I felt his hands move out of my hair and rub up my bare legs and in to my shorts. I sighed and kissed him harder. He got up off of his knees and I moved myself towards the middle of the bed. He crawled on top of me and smirked.

_If he doesn't stop doing that, I'm gonna lose it._

"Jackson, wait."

"What's wrong?" He stopped and looked at me.

"Please don't hate me, but I can't do this. Not yet," I said.

He searched my eyes for a minute and then sighed and rolled over on his back. I propped myself up on my side and whispered, "I'm sorry."

"It's ok, Rhiannon."

"No it's not and I feel fucking awful about it." I put my hand over my eyes. I felt him gently pull my hand away from my face.

"Hey, don't say that." He sat up and looked me in the eyes. "You have _nothing_ to feel awful about. I told you I can wait until you're ready."

"But that's just it, Jackson. I feel like every reason I had doesn't apply anymore," I said and sighed. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

He surprised me by chuckling. "There's nothing _wrong_ with you, baby girl. I kind of like the fact that you're not so eager to jump in to bed with me." He stroked my arm. "It makes me want you that much more and when it does happen, it's gonna be fucking incredible."

I couldn't help but smile. He was just so wonderful. I couldn't figure out what I had done to deserve such a fantastic guy.

"Good. You're smiling," he said and kissed me quickly on the lips. "So what do you want to do?"

"Hmmm…well it honestly doesn't matter that much to me. I'm just glad I'm here."

He smiled and said, "Me too." He thought for a second. "Well I bailed on drinking with Graupner and Jerad so I could spend some time with you. They said to bring you because they'd love to see you too, but I didn't know what the night was gonna hold so I just left it open." He searched my face. "What do you think? Do you want to go hang out with them or just stay here and watch a movie or something?"

I thought about it but it only took about 30 seconds to decide.

"We can go hang out with them." I didn't care what I did with Jackson. I was here, with him. Any time spent with him was perfect and it would be really nice to let loose and have some fun. Not to mention it would keep me from pouncing on Jackson. A room full of people might stop me from doing that. "But I can't drink a lot. I have to drive back tonight. Evan wants his car back."

"You're not staying?" he asked, real disappointment clouding his eyes.

"I'm sorry, Jackson. I can't. Evan will kill me if I don't bring his car back. I didn't even bring anything to change in to."

"Evan will get over it and you can wear my clothes…or nothing," he said raising his eyebrow and looking me up and down.

I laughed and playfully punched his arm. "You don't know my brother like I do. I can't stay tonight."

He tilted his head to the side and nodded. "Ok. I'll make sure you don't get completely fucking wasted then." He smiled a very sly smile that had me wanting to climb on top of him and ride the hell out of him right then. But I found myself a little worried about that smile, despite how fucktastically hot it was.

"Why do I have the feeling you're fucking with me?" I asked.

He laughed. "No I'm serious. If you're really not staying, I'm not gonna let you drive drunk."

"That's what I'm worried about. I can see the wheels turning in your head, Jackson," I said and sat up. "Maybe we should just watch a movie."

"No, no I promise everything will be fine. I mean I would love for you to stay, but I'm not going to deliberately get you drunk to keep you here. What kind of guy do you think I am?" He chuckled as he stood up and grabbed his phone from the nightstand.

I stood up and situated my shirt and shorts as he talked with Graupner on the phone.

"We'll head up there in about 15 minutes." He paused as Graupner was saying something. "Fuck you, dude. It might take _you_ only 15 minutes." He laughed at whatever response he got and then hung up.

Jackson turned toward me and smiled. "They're hanging out in the hotel. They've got beer and whiskey."

"If they're in the hotel, why is it going to take us 15 minutes to get to their room?" I asked but he didn't answer. He just moved toward me until he was just a few inches from my face. He then leaned in and kissed me. His kisses moved to my neck and I sighed.

"There are other things we could do," he mumbled in to my neck. "We don't have to have sex."

My breath caught as he ran his tongue up from my collar bone to my chin. His eyes met mine and the fucker smirked. He knew he was driving me crazy and he was enjoying himself.

"Holy shit, Jackson," I breathed.

He leaned in and licked my ear lobe. "I've been meaning to pay you back for that blow job," he whispered and then lightly bit my ear lobe. A shiver went straight down to my core.

I kissed him hard and deep, wrapping my arms around his neck so I could make sure to get as close to him as possible. He walked us backwards to the bed and I laid down and moved myself to the middle of the bed again. He climbed on top of me but this time settled himself over my promised land. His eyes were locked on mine as he unbuttoned my jean shorts and pulled them down with my panties.

After my shorts and underwear were thrown to the ground, Jackson leaned down and positioned himself just inches from my pussy. He was taking me in with his eyes since it was the first time he'd gotten a good look at the goods. The embarrassing fiasco with the towel in his hotel room was just a preview. As I watched him I noticed he looked almost…hungry.

I was breathing hard with anticipation but when he stared in to my eyes and licked his lips, I thought I was going to hyperventilate. He smiled at my response and then leaned in and got to work. He started with lightly flicking my clit with his tongue to which I moaned and threw my head back. My arms shot out to the sides, grasping for anything to hold on to while my hips jerked up. His hands gripped on to my hips to still me a little as he went a little deeper in. My moaning got louder as he swirled my clit with his tongue and moved his hand between my legs, slowly pushing one finger in to me.

"Oh fuck!" I screamed. He looked up at me and smiled, but didn't remove his finger; instead he slid it in and out of me at a faster pace making sure to curl it upwards on the way out to hit that coveted spot. It was almost too much to take. Almost.

"You taste so good, baby," he rasped. Dear God, it was the sexiest thing I'd ever heard. I was going to say something about how good he _felt_, but I gasped instead as he slid a second finger in to me at the same time he licked my already sensitive clit.

He kept sucking and licking and I couldn't believe how loud I was getting. I hoped that there was no one close to his room and if there was I prayed to baby Jesus that it wasn't one of the guys. I might've at least tried to be quieter, but there was no way it was happening.

I could feel my body start to shake all over so I moved my fingers in to his hair and gently tugged.

His fingers plunged deeper in response and I felt his teeth graze my clit. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was all it took.

"HolyFuckingJesusShit!" I yelled as I came. My back arched and my vision went hazy. I felt like I couldn't suck in enough air. It. Was. Amazing.

I heard him lightly chuckle as my body settled back down on the bed. "Pleased with yourself?" I asked as my breathing slowly started to return to normal.

He nodded and smirked. "I aim to please, darlin'." He ducked down and kissed my stomach. He then sat up and reached down for my shorts and panties. He smirked again as he handed them to me.

He went to the bathroom; I think to relieve his self, while I got dressed. Within a few minutes he was back out so I went in to clean up.

Once we were all done and ready to go, we walked over to Graupner and Jerad's room that sure enough was only about three doors down from Jackson's room.

_Please God or anyone who's listening. Please don't let them have heard me._

Jerad answered the door and took one look at each of us and grinned from ear to ear.

_Well fuck me, why did I ever think my luck would start changing for the better now?_

"What have you two been doing?" he asked both of us but looked straight at me with that all-knowing grin still plastered on his face.

I blushed deeply and mumbled "Nothing".

We walked in to the room and Graupner jumped up from the table by the window, almost knocking over the whiskey that was sitting there. He steadied the bottle and then stepped around the chair and shoved Jackson out of the way so he could put his arm around my shoulders. "Come on in, Rhiannon. We've got whiskey and beer. And more whiskey. I'm sorry, we're all out of 'Lick 'er and whine' though I think you've probably had enough of that for one evening." He laughed and winked at me. "What can I get you?"

"She needs to stick to beer, man. She has to drive back tonight," Jackson broke in, shoving Graupner in retaliation.

Graupner looked at me dramatically squinting his eyes like he was about to cry. "You're not staying the night? Rhiannon, please you have to. If I have to listen to Jay jerk off again, I'm gonna jump out of the window. He _needs _to get laid."

"Shut the fuck up man!" Jackson yelled. Graupner and Jerad started busting out laughing. Jackson slapped Graupner in the back of the head and that was it. They laid in to each other and knocked over a chair before landing on the bed, rolling around…wrestling? I think that's what they were doing. They were more rolling around than anything else. Jerad was laughing too hard to do anything about it, so I had to break them up.

"Alright _children_ cut it out," I said. They weren't listening to me so I had to take drastic measures. "Graupner I swear to God, if you don't stop it right now, I'm gonna make sure you can't walk for the next few days, much less have any kids. Ever."

They finally stopped and looked at me. Graupner smiled his signature devilish grin and said, "Is that so?"

I stood my ground and put my hands on my hips. I raised my eyebrows and nodded.

"Oh shit man," Jerad laughed. "She's fucking bad-ass."

In one swift movement Graupner was off the bed and throwing me over his shoulder. I screamed and immediately started kicking. "Put me the fuck down right now you over-grown child!"

Of course Jackson came to my rescue so Graupner gave up after Jerad told him he was on his own. He put me down and chuckled.

"Ok. Beer for the winner?" Jerad asked and held one out to me. I smiled triumphantly and took it from him.

We spent the next few hours drinking, laughing, and telling stories. I was having more fun than I had in a long time and I felt so comfortable with all of them. Like it just felt normal. I sat in between Jackson's legs on the floor and he would occasionally rub my arms or run his fingers through my hair. It was great and because I was so lost in him and how much fun we were having, I didn't realize how late it had gotten until Jerad spoke up.

"Hey Rhiannon, didn't you say you had to get back tonight?" he asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because it's already after 3," he said, gesturing to the clock on the wall. Sure enough it was.

"Shit," I muttered and stood up. "I need to go." Jackson stood up as well and grabbed my purse. He handed it to me and smiled. Not his usual smile, but I knew it was just because he didn't want me to go.

"Are you sure you're ok to drive?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I can drink beer all day long. Liquor on the other hand, is a different story."

He just nodded. Graupner stood and hugged me. Graupner hugs were the best hugs, under Jackson's of course. Jerad gave me a quick hug as well and they all told me to be careful.

"I'll be right back. I'm gonna walk Rhiannon to her car," Jackson said and then placed his hand on my back, leading me to the door.

We walked to the car in silence. I wanted to apologize again about the sex thing or at least thank him for the other thing…

"I feel kind of bad you had to take care of yourself tonight." That's what I came up with to say. Ummm…can we say lame?

_Fuck me! I'm such an idiot._

He just smiled and shook his head. "Don't feel bad. Don't get me wrong, I would've loved to fuck you all night but you're not ready. And I'm ok with that." He leaned in and kissed me sweetly on the lips.

"Why are you so wonderful?" I asked and looked down at the ground. He bent down to look at me and smirked.

"Is that a bad thing?" he asked.

I laughed. "Well no. It's actually pretty great. It just makes me seem horrible and ridiculous for not taking you in the back of this car and fucking your brains out."

He found that statement quite amusing. After he was calmed down, he kissed me again and said, "Be careful, ok?"

"Ok. We have to meet you guys at the venue at 4, right?" I asked making sure nothing had changed.

"Yeah, for sound check but we're going to lunch with my parents at 2," he said matter-of-factly like it was something that I should've known already.

"What?" I hadn't meant to sound so panicked.

"I told you my parents were coming in to see me, didn't I?"

"Yes, but I wasn't aware we had lunch plans with them. Jackson, this is big. What if they don't like me?" My voice was moving up the scale the more I talked.

"Relax, baby. They're going to like you," he assured me. "How could they not? You're great." He smiled and took my hands in his. He kissed both my hands and then released them. "Meet me here at 1:30 and we'll ride together. My parents will be here by then or I would just come pick you up."

I nodded and opened the door. I started to climb in but decided against it, turned around, and brought Jackson's face to mine. I kissed him hard and urgent. It surprised him so it took him a second to kiss me back but when he did…Oh my. I believe the angels were singing a song just for us at that moment.

When we finally broke away from each other, we were both panting.

"I have to go," I whispered and stepped away from him. I got in to the car and drove away wishing I had stayed.

The drive back was quick and uneventful. I made it to our hotel and walked to Evan's room. I knocked and waited for him to come to the door. Eddie opened it instead, his eyes half-closed.

"Rhiannon?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Damn, Eddie. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you. I was just bringing Evan his keys back."

"Oh. Right. He's asleep. I'll take them." He reached out so I placed them in his hand. "Thanks," he muttered and went to shut the door.

"Sorry again," I said quickly and then turned to walk down to my room.

By the time I had washed my face and got in to my bed clothes, it was almost 4 o'clock. I thought I would have trouble falling asleep, but surprisingly enough, I didn't. I slept relatively well too.

Thankfully I didn't over sleep. I woke up with my alarm at 11 and had plenty of time to get ready before I had to meet Jackson. I showered and then got dressed. I chose a white skirt that went down to right above my knees, a blue capped-sleeved shirt with sequined embellishments, and blue sandals. I styled my hair curly as usual and applied a little make up. I put my locket on as the finishing touch. I looked at myself in the mirror and sighed.

_I guess this is as good as it's gonna get._

I didn't look bad but I didn't look as great as I wanted to. I had a feeling it wouldn't matter what I wore, I still wouldn't like it. I got my purse and headed down to Evan and Eddie's room. Evan was walking out as I approached the door.

"Hey!" he said. "Jesus, you scared me. I was just coming to your room." He laughed.

"Sorry about that," I snickered. "But I need to ask you for a favor."

"What is it?"

"I'm having lunch with Jackson and his parents and I need you to drive me to his hotel so I can ride with him." I took a deep breath as I realized exactly what I was about to do.

"Why don't you just take my car?" he asked, completely ignoring my little freak out.

"Because I'm riding with him to the venue as well. He doesn't want to be rushed with his parents so he's just gonna drive to sound check instead of riding with the guys. That way we can just head straight there when we're done."

"Why doesn't he just come and pick you up?" Evan was really starting to annoy me.

"His parents are meeting him at his hotel. Look, if you don't want to take me, that's fine."

"I didn't say that," he insisted. "I was just asking. Yes, I'll take you. What time do you have to meet him?"

"1:30," I answered. "Thanks."

"Yeah, no problem," he said and smiled. "Hey, you look really nice, by the way."

"Yeah, right," I scoffed.

"No, seriously, Rhi. You look great. Are you nervous?" He actually sounded like he cared. I knew he was trying to be better about Jackson, but I did not expect this.

"Um, a little," I confessed. "But I'm trying not to think about it too much. Besides, I'm sure everything will be fine." I shrugged and Evan nodded.

"It will be." He patted me on the back and then checked his watch. "Ok it's 12:30 so we'll leave in about 45 minutes. Is that ok?"

"It doesn't take 15 minutes to get there," I argued.

"The first step to making a good impression is _not _to be late," he countered. "What if we hit traffic or something?"

Of course he was right. I agreed and told him I was going for a walk. Once down there, I decided to put my head phones in and listen to some music to calm my nerves. I would've probably smoked an entire pack of cigarettes if I hadn't wanted to wreak of cigarette smoke when I met The Rathbone's. I found a picnic table around the back of the hotel underneath a huge tree. It looked cozy so I took a seat and leaned my back against the table. I turned up my music and shut my eyes.

I didn't know how many songs I'd listened to when I felt a tap on my shoulder and opened my eyes to see Evan standing there.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Really? It's already time to go?"

"Yeah," he answered and laughed. "What have you been doing out here?"

"Just listening to music, hoping to relax a little bit."

"Did it work?"

"Yeah, I think." I shrugged and then looked up at him. "Alright, let's do this."

Evan chuckled and helped me up.

We didn't say much in the car. I think he was trying to just let me sort everything out, but I would've given anything to have some mindless small talk to concentrate on.

I felt a flutter in my stomach as we pulled in to the hotel. I directed Evan to where Jackson's hotel room was and he dropped me off. As I climbed the steps, I kept reminding myself that everything was going to be fine.

I rounded the corner and saw Jackson standing outside his room with the two people that could only be his parents. As soon as he caught sight of me, he smiled really big. I couldn't help but return that smile as I walked up to him. For some reason all of my nerves just melted away.

He introduced us and we all stepped inside the room for a few minutes. I actually felt really comfortable with them. Randee, Jackson's mom, was really sweet and chatty so I didn't have to worry about any uncomfortable silence while Papa Rathbone, Jackson's dad, was as utterly charming as his son.

Randee and I discussed Louisiana since that was where we were both from and agreed the only bad things about Louisiana were the toothless red necks, horrible-smelling swamp lands, and the mosquitos.

Lunch went very well too as I got to hear a few stories about a younger Jackson. We all laughed at the funny stories and Randee and I swooned at the sweeter ones. You could tell how much they loved their son and supported him. It reminded me of my family and I found myself falling in love with them both.

I was having so much fun; I was genuinely disappointed when Jackson announced that it was time to go.

"Why don't you guys let me get this?" I asked and started to reach for the check. "It's the least I can do in return for such a lovely afternoon."

Papa Rathbone raised his hand and shook his head. "We wouldn't dream of it, Rhiannon. I have never once let a woman pay for something and I'm not starting today." He looked over at Jackson. "You better not be letting her pay for anything. I raised you to be a gentleman." Jackson quickly assured his father that he wasn't and that apparently satisfied Papa Rathbone so he turned his attention back to me. "Thank you for the offer, but really the pleasure was all ours." He smiled a very familiar smile and I couldn't help but return it.

After the lunch tab was settled and we were outside, we started to say our goodbyes.

"It was really nice to meet you, Rhiannon," Randee said as she hugged me. "We hope to be seeing a lot more of you." She deliberately looked at Jackson when she said that, making me blush.

"Yes, we do," Papa Rathbone chimed in and then gave me a quick hug as well. "Although, you are entirely too good for my son," he teased and then laughed at Jackson's expression.

"Thanks a lot," Jackson said and then joined in the laughter.

I thanked them for a great lunch and then Jackson and I headed to the car. Once inside, I couldn't stop smiling. Jackson looked over at me and grinned when he took in my mood.

"See? I told you they'd like you." He leaned over to me and kissed me. "You didn't seem nervous at all."

"I was until I met them. They're great people, Jackson. Now I can see why you're so wonderful." I kissed him again and suddenly felt a longing like I'd never felt before. At that moment, I wanted him. I wanted him _bad. _I wanted to skip the show and just go back to the hotel room and never leave.

I kissed him deeper as the desire swept over me. I ran my hands up his thigh and over his dick.

He jerked and then moaned softly. "Shit, baby. What are you doing?"

"I'm ready," I said as I kissed him again.

"Wait. You're _ready_? Now?"

"Yeah, now." I licked my lips and smiled.

"Oh fuck," he said. "I would love nothing more than to do that with you right fucking now, but we don't have time."

"After the show tonight then?" I asked seductively.

"Oh hell yeah." He leaned in and kissed me again. I settled in to my seat as he started the car, smiling like a complete fool.

Tonight was going to be a great night. This was Abolish Luck's first time in Dallas and the crowd was going to be huge thanks to 100 Monkeys. Then after everything was done, I was going back to Jackson's hotel room with him. We were going to have a great night of our own and instead of feeling nervous or scared, I felt happy and excited.

I looked over at him and couldn't help imagining all the amazingly naughty things I was going to do to him later and then something very important occurred to me. I silently thanked Stacy for that extra special something she had talked me in to packing. The finishing touch that was going to make everything perfect.

_I'm gonna need that nightie._


	8. I Lust You

**I needed to take a little break but I didn't intend it to be this long. I am horrible and I am sorry…BUT I'm hoping this chapter's contents will get me forgiven. If not, I can always beg. Haha!**

**So I hope you enjoy Chapter 8. I have already begun Chapter 9 so I promise it won't be late. It will be posted by next Sunday on schedule.**

**Thank you so much for reading and a big thank you to Tima83 and Starchick7003 as always! I heart you all!**

**~o.O.o~**

**Chapter 8: "I Lust You"**

Sound check went by in a blur. Most of the time I was just staring at Jackson and he was staring at me. It was like we were in our own little world, only willingly escaping it when we were summoned for a question or something else. After I'd decided I was finally ready to _be_ with him, I was incredibly anxious to finally be alone with him. There was no more uncertainty. There was no more fear. I knew how much he cared about me and he knew how much I cared about him. It was going to be amazing.

On the drive to the venue I had thought about a plan to get my nightie. Since the sound check was going to be over by 5 for Abolish Luck and Jackson would be busy with 100 Monkeys doing interviews, I was going to go back to the hotel and get ready for the show and just pack my nightie in my gigantic purse. It would work beautifully and he wouldn't know I had it until he saw me wearing it later. I hoped he would be pleasantly surprised.

When Evan and the guys had arrived, Evan informed me that our parents were going to meet us at the hotel at 6 and they'd follow us to the venue. The show didn't start 'till 8 so that would give us plenty of time to introduce them to the Monkeys…and Jackson.

My own meeting with the Rathbone's couldn't have gone any better, but for some reason, I was extremely nervous to have Jackson meeting my parents. Tom was a good guy but he was just as protective, if not more protective, of me than Evan was. Tom had adopted Evan and me the week after he married my mom. My father had no problem giving us away. He saw it as a chance to get out from under the child support. Tom had been my "Dad" in every sense of the word from that moment on. He would never approve of someone he thought would hurt me. Since Evan had been worried about that very thing, I was afraid Tom would too and I didn't want to deal with any more opposition.

I didn't get to talk to Jackson much and only got to give him a quick kiss when I left, but I made sure he knew how much I was looking forward to our evening by sending him quite a few dirty texts.

I was now in my hotel room putting the finishing touches on my concert outfit that I'd borrowed from Stacy. She'd wanted to buy me something new but I wouldn't let her and I made sure she knew that I wasn't going to let her pay for anything _before_ we were in the stores, that way she couldn't embarrass me.

I'd bought the "Meet the Rathbone's" outfit from a department store that had decent clothing for modest prices and even though Stacy scoffed at the store itself, she gave her seal of approval on the outfit.

I stood looking at myself in the mirror in Stacy's white and black plaid shirt and black skirt. The shirt's fabric was thin and almost see through so I wore a white tank top underneath. It was a very pretty and girly ensemble. I opted out of wearing heels since my feet were killing me by the time I got home from the last show and decided to wear some plain black flats instead. I straightened my hair again and added darker and more sultry make-up. As I was giving myself one final look, there was a knock on the door. I walked over and opened it to see Evan and my parents standing there.

"Mom!" I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her in to my room. "I'm so glad you guys are here!" I hugged Tom next.

"Sweet heart, you look gorgeous," Tom said. He took another look at me and smiled really big. "You hardly ever dress up."

"She cleans up real nice doesn't she?" Evan added. "You should've seen her in the dress she wore for the Boudreaux's gig. The guys couldn't keep their eyes off of her."

I blushed and waved my hand in an attempt to get the attention off of me. "We should probably get going. It's already after 6," I said and looked at Evan.

"Yeah you're right," Evan agreed and then turned to my Mom. "Are you guys ready to go?"

Mom nodded her head. "We've already checked in to our hotel and we grabbed a bite to eat on the way in so we're good to go." She actually looked excited and it made me want to laugh. My mother was about to attend a rock show full of cussing, sexual innuendos, and loud music. Of course she'd seen Abolish Luck perform a few times but never at anything like this. I was interested to see how she'd handle it.

Mom and Tom followed us to the venue and we got them both VIP tags so they could be in the area before the actual show started. We ran in to Lani on the way in and I introduced her to my parents. Lani started to rush off so I jogged up to her.

"Hey Lani, wait up!" I called after her. "Where's Jackson?"

"He and the rest of the guys are finishing up an interview. They'll come out for the meet and greets in just a few minutes," she answered.

"Ok, thanks." I wondered if he was even going to have time to meet my parents. I couldn't say that I would be completely disappointed if he didn't.

I walked back over to my parents and helped find them a seat in the bar area. My mother ordered a Rum and Coke which surprised the hell out of me. She had only drank alcohol in front of me like 3 times and all 3 didn't happen until after I was 21. Tom was a beer drinker. The type of guy that had a few beers in the evening after work and during the game. So of course he ordered a beer. I decided to partake in a little alcohol myself and ordered a beer. We had just sat down when I saw Jackson and the rest of the guys come walking out from the back.

I was just about to stand up and wave him over when he caught sight of me and smiled. He said something to Jerad, gesturing in our direction and Jerad stopped the rest of the guys. They all looked over at us and then started walking over.

The nerves returned as they got closer and I kept having to remind myself not to vomit.

"Mom, Tom, this is Jerad Anderson, Ben Johnson, Ben Graupner, Uncle Larry." I gestured to each of them as I said their names. I took a deep breath as I got to the last, most important introduction. "And this is Jackson Rathbone."

The oh-so-polite boys exchanged handshakes with Tom and hugs and kisses on the cheek with my mother. I was really hoping they'd make a good enough impression that Tom wouldn't feel the need to interrogate Jackson. Unfortunately, they didn't.

"So you're Jackson," Tom stated matter-of-factly.

"Yes sir. It's very nice to meet you both," Jackson said. "It's easy to see where Rhiannon gets her good looks," he added and smiled at my mother. I was pretty sure my mother was melting in to a puddle of goo at that moment.

She blushed and mumbled something that sounded like "Thank you" but I couldn't be sure.

"Mmhmm," Tom scoffed. "So Jackson, what are your intentions with Rhiannon?"

_Oh…My….God…He did NOT just ask that…_

"Tom!" I whined.

"What?" he asked innocently. "I probably won't get to see him again for a while and I want to know exactly who you're spending your time with." He turned his attention back to Jackson and waited for an answer.

Graupner laughed and nudged Jackson. "Hey man we're just gonna be over there," he said and walked away. The rest of the guys joined him, leaving Jackson to deal with my parents by his self.

Jackson moved closer to me and gave me a reassuring smile, letting me know it was ok. He then returned his attention to Tom.

"I care a lot about Rhiannon. She's an amazing woman. I would like to have a future with her, but right now we're taking things slow. We want to get to know each other more before we commit to anything long term," Jackson spoke with ease. He didn't seem thrown or nervous by the question in the least. It made me wonder just how many sets of girlfriend's parents he'd met in his lifetime.I made a mental note to ask him that at some point.

Tom's face softened and he even smiled a little. "That's good to hear. Rhiannon is very special to me, Jackson. I don't want to see her get hurt and I'm sure you can understand my concerns when it comes to being in a relationship with someone in your line of work."

"Yes sir, I do understand your concerns. I have the same ones. The last thing I want to do is hurt her," he assured Tom and slipped his arm around my waist. "All I want to do is make her happy."

I could feel myself smiling like a complete fool but I didn't care. The things Jackson was saying made me want to take him in the back and give him a preview of coming attractions. His confidence and certainty was the most attractive feature about him and he was definitely working it with my parents.

Jackson's answers apparently pleased Tom so he got off the subject and they made small talk about the show for a few minutes. Lani came over and told Jackson it was time for the Meet and Greets so Jackson shook Tom's hand and gave my mother a quick kiss on the cheek, promising to see them after the show, and then took off with Lani. I watched him as he walked away entertaining a few naughty thoughts in my mind. I was definitely going to have to properly thank him later for being so great…

"You really like him, don't you?" My mother asked abruptly putting an end to the porno going on inside my head.

I smiled like a fool again and nodded.

"He seems alright," Tom chimed in. "I didn't mean to embarrass you, kiddo. I just don't want to see you get hurt." He kissed me on the cheek and smiled. "Besides, what kind of Dad would I be if I didn't give your boyfriends a hard time?"

I blushed. "Jackson's not my boyfriend, Tom." I looked away, hoping it would convey the message that I really didn't want to talk about it anymore.

"Yes, he is," Mom said. "Jackson is your boyfriend in every meaning of the word, Rhiannon. The only thing that's missing is for you two to embrace it. I appreciate that you two are trying to take it slow and I think that is a great idea, but it doesn't mean that you can't take it slow in your relationship."

"A relationship would complicate things right now, Mom," I said quietly. "Can we just not talk about this anymore?"

"Hey Rhi, Lani needs you for a minute." Evan saved the day. I nodded and mouthed "Thank you" as I brushed past him and made my way towards Lani.

"Did you need me?" I asked her as I walked up. She was taking a picture of a fan with the guys so she held up a finger signaling me to hold on a minute. Once the picture was taken and the girl was happy with it, Lani handed the camera to someone I'd never met and then joined me.

"Sorry about that," she huffed. "Yes I did and do need you. Did Marty mention to you about our plans for you guys? About recording?"

My eyes got really wide and she giggled at my response. "I'm gonna take that as a no," she snorted. "Well we want to get your boys in the studio soon so –" Someone called Lani, interrupting her and she rolled her eyes and threw her hands up. "Shit! I guess this conversation will have to wait until later. Are you guys staying after the show?"

I laughed and nodded. "Of course. Just let me know when you get a free moment. I can't wait to hear the plan," I said excitedly.

Lani smiled big and then took off in the direction she was being summoned to undoubtedly diffuse a problem. I swear if there was a real Superwoman, Lani would be it.

I decided to go check on the boys instead of going back to my parents. It was getting close to 7 and I wanted to make sure they were ready to go. I made my way to the back and down the hall to the dressing room. I knocked lightly and Chris swung the door open, a wide smile planted on his face.

"What are you so happy about?" I asked him as I walked in. He just shrugged as he moved out of the way, but the smile never left his face. Jerry was doing his jumping up and down to build adrenaline thing while Eddie and Evan were rehearsing a part in the new song they would be premiering tonight. Chris was just kind of there.

Eddie, Evan, and Jerry stopped what they were doing as soon as they noticed I'd walked in. I tried to hide my excitement, but I'm a horrible actress so my smile broke through despite how hard I had tried to stop it.

Eddie looked between me and Chris and said, "You 2 look like the Cheshire Cat. What's going on?"

"I don't know what he's so happy about, but I have some big news for you guys although I don't know all the details yet so I'm afraid to say anything about it right now," I rambled.

"Just spill it, Rhi," Evan insisted.

"Ok well you know how you told me Lani needed to see me?" I started. When he nodded, I continued, "Well she didn't have time to really tell me much about it, but she mentioned that her and Marty have a plan for you guys that would include recording. She wants to talk to me about it after the show."

"Holy shit! For real?" Jerry wasn't bothering to hide his excitement and it made me giggle.

"Are you fucking serious, Rhi?" Evan asked. He stuttered a little bit more before just busting out in a round of laughter. He picked me up and spun me around.

"Guys calm down!" I said through my laughter. "We don't know any details yet."

"Fuck details!" Eddie yelled and hugged me tight. "You'll take care of the details because you're the shit, Rhiannon. We're gonna celebrate. Shots?" He pointed around the room at everyone and we all nodded so he took off to the bar.

"I'm glad you're all happy. I'm excited too, I just wish I had more to tell you but we'll talk tomorrow after I've had a chance to talk to Lani and Marty."

"We could talk tonight, couldn't we?" Chris asked.

_Shit._

"Um. Well. No, I can't do it tonight," I said nervously. I was hoping they would just let it go, but I knew they wouldn't. It's just not in their nature.

"And why not?" Jerry asked, an all-knowing smile spreading across his lips.

"Because I just can't ok?" I snapped as my face flushed red.

Jerry and Chris laughed, but Evan just looked at me. He didn't look angry or worried or…anything really. It was just a blank expression.

"Alright guys, cut it out," Evan finally said. "If Rhi can't do it tonight, we'll get together tomorrow morning and talk about it. What time do you think you'll be back, fearless leader?" He chuckled and I relaxed. He knew exactly what I was up to and he wasn't making a big deal about it. I wanted to hug him senseless at that point and I'm pretty sure the smile on my face let him know that.

"I'm thinking about 10 would be perfect. We're not leaving until noon anyway so that will give us plenty of time to discuss everything and let Lani and Marty know something before we leave in case we have to sign papers or something."

As the boys were agreeing and talking amongst themselves excitedly, Eddie came back with the alcohol and sat the tray down on the coffee table in front of the couch.

"What's going on?" he asked as he started handing out the shots.

"We're meeting at 10 tomorrow to talk about the recording thing," Jerry filled Eddie in. "Hey which room are we meeting in?" Jerry looked between Evan and I.

"Well I guess we could meet in my room," I offered. "It's bound to be a hell of a lot cleaner than any of your rooms."

"Yeah but only because you're not staying in your room tonight," Jerry shot back and him and Chris snickered.

"Jerry I swear to God, if you don't shut the fuck up I'm going to give you a nice black eye to sport on stage tonight. I'm sure that would have the ladies lining up to fuck you until they found out a chick did it to you." That abruptly shut him up so I lifted up my shot glass and smiled. "A toast." Everyone else raised their shot glasses. "To Abolish Luck," I said and started to down my shot when Evan stopped me.

"To Abolish Luck _and _100 Monkeys," Evan corrected. I smiled and then we all knocked our shots back.

"Ok, I need to get back out to Mom and Dad to get them seated then I'll come back for my pep talk," I said and winked.

"Hey, wait, Rhiannon," Eddie walked up to me. "Jackson asked if I could send you to their dressing room. He said he had a question to ask you."

"Oh. Are they done with the meet and greets?"

"I guess so." Eddie shrugged and then walked back to the guys.

I glanced at my phone to check the time.

_7:30? Shit, shit, shit!_

I walked quickly to 100 Monkeys' dressing room and knocked on the door.

"Come in." I heard Jackson call from inside. I opened the door just a little bit and saw that he was completely alone in the room.

"Hey, you needed to see me?" I asked him. He was sitting on a couch that looked almost exactly like the one in our dressing room with his legs sprawled out and a beer in his hand. He looked good enough to eat in a black button down shirt, with the top buttons open exposing a little bit of his chest; light gray jeans, and those incredibly sexy cowboy boots.

He smiled and my knees felt a little wobblylike they always did when I was alone with him. It was amazing that his presence alone could affect me in such a profound way. I grabbed on to the door frame for support and then smiled in return.

"Yeah, come in," he said and patted the space next to him on the couch.

"I can't, Jackson. I have to get my parents seated and the show's about to start."

"Your parents are taken care of and you'll be back out there before the show starts, I promise." He patted the couch again. "I _need _you to come here. Now. Please?"

I felt that lovely jolt between my legs as I realized exactly why he'd wanted to see me and why he was completely alone in the room. I took a step inside and gave him my best "I'm pretending to be mad at you" face.

"Jackson you know we don't have time for this. Besides I want this to be perfect and somehow I don't think fucking on the couch in the dressing room counts as being perfect." I folded my arms across my chest to prove my point further.

He surprised me by standing up and walking towards me, pure lust in his eyes. When he'd gotten about 2 inches from my face he reached around me and shut the door. He kept his eyes on mine as he turned the lock.

"Don't worry, sugar. I'm saving the best for last but it doesn't mean we can't have a little fun beforehand, does it?" he asked in that orgasmic low voice of his.

_Dear sweet baby Jesus please forgive me for I am about to sin and enjoy every minute of it!_

I threw my arms around his neck and pulled him to me, crushing my lips to his. This kiss was just as deep and passionate, if not more, than it always was but there was a sense of urgency this time adding to the overall overwhelming sensation coursing through my body. I felt his tongue slide across my bottom lip, silently parting them and gaining entrance. While his tongue was exploring my mouth, his hands were pulling up my skirt and my hands were unbuttoning his shirt. I hitched my leg up on his hip and he grabbed my ass, pulling it towards him as he ground his hips in to mine. The heat emanating from my center was obvious enough that I was pretty sure we both noticed it.He broke away from me and lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and he carried me to the couch. Somehow he managed to get me in a sitting position on the couch and himself on his knees in front of me without tripping or dropping me.

He ran his fingertips painfully slowly up in to my skirt and grabbed my panties.

"I need to taste you again, baby," he whispered as he tugged on my panties. I lifted my ass up so he could pull them down. Once they were out of the way he pulled me closer to the edge of the couch and told me to sit back. My breathing increased in anticipation and I almost lost it when I felt his tongue run from entrance to clit. I let out a loud moan and grabbed the back of the couch with both hands.

I got frustrated when he stopped and chuckled. "What?" I asked a little bitchier than I had intended to.

"You're gonna have to be a little quieter, Rhiannon. Do you think you can do that or do you want me to stop?" he asked as he massaged my clit with his thumb, gently blowing his hot breath across it making me shiver with pleasure.

"Oh shit," I moaned. "I'll be quieter. Just don't stop."

It turns out that trying to be quiet actually made it hotter. I felt like we were teenagers in my bedroom trying to be quiet so my parents wouldn't find out what we were doing. I didn't completely succeed at being quiet but I did much better than I normally would until I came. Then I couldn't help it but at least I was able to put a pillow over my face to muffle it.

After Jackson had so skillfully taken care of me, I thought it was only fair to return the favor so he got a quick blow job. As we were getting dressed, I noticed Jackson shoving my panties in his back pocket. I cocked my eyebrow, giving him a look that said "What the hell are you doing?" but he just smirked.

"A souvenir," he explained. "You're not getting them back either. They're going everywhere with me. I hope you're ok with that." He kissed me quickly on the lips and smiled.

I wanted to be mad. I wanted to slap him and grab my panties out of his pocket but I can't say that I was entirely upset by it. Actually I think it would be more accurate to say I was flattered and even extremely turned on by the thought that he would be performing on stage tonight with my panties in his back pocket.

_Why can't later be now? _

Once I had situated myself and got as comfortable as I would be without underwear on, I headed back to Abolish Luck's dressing room for the pep talk. The guys had mercilessly teased me saying my cheeks were flushed and my lips were swollen. After everything was taken care of I went out to join my parents in the VIP area for the show. I prayed the whole walk that they wouldn't notice what the guys had so easily figured out.

"Hey, Mom. Sorry I've been out of pocket. Managerial duties and all," I shrugged and smiled.

She looked at me and winked. "Managerial duties, huh?"

I blushed and shot her a look to be quiet. I glanced at Tom but he didn't seem to be paying any attention to what was being said. I sighed in relief and settled in for the show.

I watched my parents a lot during Abolish Luck's set so I didn't get to enjoy it as much as I would've liked to. My mother actually danced and smiled. Tom didn't look as enthusiastic but he didn't look unhappy either. He surprised me by clapping loudly and yelling for the guys when they headed off the stage.

We went to the bar to wait for the boys to come out of the back before 100 Monkeys took the stage. While we waited my mom and Tom had another drink. I indulged in a few shots and another beer. I had a nice buzz forming when the guys joined us at the bar.

"So Mom did you like it?" Evan asked excitedly.

"I did, honey. I really enjoyed myself. You guys have gotten so good!" she gushed and gave them all a hug, saving Evan for last and squeezing him extra hard.

Tom took Evan's hand in his, a big smile on his face. He shook it briefly and then pulled Evan in for a hug. Tom didn't show much affection to Evan; he saved all the hugs for me, but tonight he was hugging Evan and it actually made me tear up a little bit. Tom released Evan from the hug and told him how proud he was of him. Evan looked euphoric at the response.

We decided to stay back at the bar for the rest of the show but we all yelled and danced and sang along with 100 Monkeys the entire time. Once again, my mother danced and generally had a fantastic time. Even Tom smiled at some of the shenanigans the Monkeys pulled and even commented on how great it was they could all play multiple instruments.

I decided to stop drinking liquor and just stick to beer after the few shots I had taken after Abolish Luck's performance because I wanted my night with Jackson to be memorable. I didn't want to be completely fucking wasted and pass out or vomit or something really stupid like that. I was feeling great but not ridiculous by the time 100 Monkeys left the stage and I waited impatiently for them to emerge from the back.

"Rhiannon, I need to get your mother to the room. She's had a little too much to drink and she's not feeling very well," Tom said.

"Oh ok. Is she going to be alright?"

"I'm sure she'll be fine," he assured me. "She'll probably have a hell of a hangover but she had a great time. I haven't seen her let loose like that in a long time." He smiled at me and pulled me in for a hug. "Thank you for inviting us. It was a fantastic show from both bands."

"I agree. And you're welcome. I think it was great having you guys here and it really meant a lot to Evan that you guys came all this way to see them perform."

I watched Tom help my mother up and guide her to the doors. I felt bad that she'd gotten sick, but at the same time, I was thrilled they'd had such a good time.

I looked around for Evan and found him, Eddie, Chris, and Jerry taking a picture with some girls. After the picture had been taken, the girls giggled and flirted asking them to sign their shirts. I couldn't help but laugh at how much they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

"They're loving every minute of that, aren't they?" I turned to see Lani standing beside me smiling while she watched the girls fawning all over my boys.

"I believe they are," I laughed.

"They did amazing tonight. We had some people come up and ask us if there were some CDs for sale or somewhere to download their music. We gave them their website address of course but it would be great to have some music to actually sell at these things."

"Ok so what were you guys thinking?" I was desperate to get in to the details.

"Well there's a guy in Baton Rouge that we know really well and he works with a guy in Lafayette who does some recording on the side. He's very good. Jay and the guys have worked with him a few times and they love him."

"Lafayette? That's only an hour from us," I said.

"Yeah so we thought that would be better than trying to figure out a way to get you guys to California for an extended amount of time. You could record on your own schedule and as soon as it's finished we start distributing them and selling them at shows. What do you think?" Lani finished with a smile.

"I think it's a great idea. It's convenient and I know you wouldn't recommend the guy if he wasn't any good. You know you and Marty have been amazing to us," I gushed.

She waved her hand in an attempt to dismiss my compliment and then smiled again. She started to say something but her attention was drawn to something behind me. I turned in my seat to follow her gaze and noticed Jackson standing at the other end of the bar, leaned up against it. He was wearing that panty-soaking smirk covered in sweat. He was an amazing sight and I would've been happy just to let him fuck me silly on the bar but that might have been a little indecent…

Lani cleared her throat tearing our eyes from each other. "So, I guess let me know something as soon as you've discussed everything with Evan and the boys and we'll go from there." She smiled and then walked away.

"Where's your parents?" Jackson asked as he joined me at the bar.

"Mom wasn't feeling too well so they left," I answered letting my eyes search every inch of the amazingly sexy man sitting with me. "Shouldn't you be signing autographs, taking pictures, and getting blow jobs?" I asked playfully shoving him.

He chuckled. "Nope. The guys are keeping most of them busy right now so we can get out of here. Are you ready?"

I looked at him knowing I was giving him the most intense and lustful look I could conjure up and said, "Hell yes."

We grabbed our things up and rushed out before anyone could stop us or anything else could happen. The drive was quiet and fast. He drove like a bat out of hell to the hotel, his hand on my leg and without my panties on he was able to rub my folds with his pinky the entire ride. I didn't know how much more I could take when we finally pulled in to the parking lot and parked. Jackson walked around to open my door for me, but I was already stepping out. I wasn't patient enough to wait for him to open the door. I made sure I grabbed my purse with my surprise in it and walked up to him. He entwined his fingers with mine and held my hand as we walked up to his room. He unlocked the door and held it open for me. The door had just latched shut when I felt his hands on my waist and his lips on my neck. My skin broke out in goose bumps from his touch.

My head lolled back and rested on his shoulder as his hands started to unbutton my shirt. He took my earlobe between his teeth and lightly bit it sending an alarm straight down to my already aching core.

I turned around to face him and he immediately claimed my lips in a searing kiss. Our tongues fought for dominance and our hands searched for articles of clothing to unbutton and remove. The closeness was clouding my mind, making it hard to think. I only partially felt him removing my shirt, exposing the lacey white tank top underneath. My hands had unconsciously been unbuttoning his shirt and I pushed it off of him and it landed in the floor behind him. I drug my nails down his chest slowly as I deepened the kiss and closed any space between us.

"How about a shower, darlin'?" Jackson whispered as he snaked his arms around my waist and unzipped my skirt.

"Mmmm…" I nodded and stepped out of my skirt, now in a pile on the floor. I was standing there in my tank top, bra. His eyes looked me up and down and he licked his lips, the hungry look returning to his eyes. I couldn't help but ogle his chest and abs. His muscles were cut and gleaming with sweat.

He grabbed my hand and led me in to the bathroom. He leaned in to the tub and turned on the shower. After he was happy with the water temperature, he returned his attention to me, lifting my tank top over my head. I moved a little closer to him and ran my fingertips down his chest again, stopping at the button on his jeans. I kept his gaze as I unbuttoned them, slipping my hand down in to his pants and rubbing up and down his dick.

Jackson's breath caught and his eyes rolled in to the back of his head. His mouth opened and a soft moan escaped followed by a growl when I removed my hand.

His hands moved up my arms and grabbed a hold of my bra straps. He pulled them down, exposing my breasts. He bent down and took my right nipple in his mouth. He sucked, licked, and then nipped it while palming my left boob. He showed the same amount of attention to my left nipple and then, returning to my lips, kissed me deeply. If I ever thought I had received a passionate kiss before, I had no idea what I was missing. Jackson's kisses were so amazing, it seemed impossible that anyone would ever measure up. I hoped I'd never have to find someone to try to measure up.

My bra fell to the floor, apparently as a result of Jackson un-clasping it though I didn't feel him do it. The only piece of clothing between us was his underwear**. **I pulled his boxers down, letting loose the raging erection underneath and after appreciating the sight for a few moments, I stepped in to the shower and he followed. I watched as the water ran down his back, cascading down to his ass. That phenomenally perfect ass… He ran his hands through his hair, moving it out of his face as he turned to look at me.

"Can I wash you, cowboy?" I asked seductively as I looked him up and down.

He smirked at me and handed me the soap and a rag. I took the soap, but shook my head at the rag. Jackson raised his eyebrow as he watched me lather the soap in my hands and then sit the bar of soap back in its dish. I rubbed my soap-covered hands across his chest and shoulders and then down to his stomach. Jackson's breathing sped as I took his member in my hand and started to rub up and down it. My hands were so slick from the soap, they moved up and down his cock almost by themselves.

His moans were turning me on but I wasn't giving in that easy. When he tried to pin me to the wall in the shower, I ducked and grabbed the shampoo bottle as I maneuvered myself away from him.

"Uh-uh," I said playfully wagging my finger back and forth at him like he was a child who got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "You're still a dirty boy."

"You're fucking driving me crazy," he growled.

"Patience, Jackson." I lathered the shampoo up in my hands the same way I'd done the soap and then buried my fingers in his hair, working the lather through the wavy dark locks. As soon as his hair was nice and clean he leaned back in to the spray of the shower to rinse the soap out.

He straightened back up and, with a sly smile, pulled me under the water with him. I giggled and slapped at him playfully. At first he played along, but the more we played the darker his eyes seemed to look. He'd finally had enough I guess because he crushed his lips to mine, immediately shoving his tongue in to my mouth. He took my bottom lip in between his teeth and pulled while he slipped his hand between my legs and rubbed my clit.

"Oh fuck…" I moaned.

"You like that, sugar?" He breathed. I couldn't speak so I simply nodded. "I bet you want me to keep going don't you?" Again I only nodded. "Too bad you're still a dirty girl." He pulled his hand out from between my legs and smirked at me. My mouth was hanging open. The fucker used my trick against me. Fuck!

He chuckled and then grabbed the soap and lathered it up in his hands. "Turn around," he commanded.

I obeyed and faced the shower wall, placing my hands on it for support. I felt his hands start at my ankles and move up my legs to my thighs and then to my ass. He was taking his time washing me, but I was thoroughly enjoying it. It was definitely something I could get used to.

I gasped as he cupped and then rubbed my breasts. At the same time, I felt Little Jackson pushing in to my back and it made me want to turn around and just jump him already, but I resisted.

Once I was completely washed and rinsed off, we got out. Jackson wrapped a towel around me and then himself. We walked out and I grabbed my purse and started walking back to the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" he asked, raising his eyebrows at me.

"I have a surprise for you," I answered and smiled.

"A surprise? What is it?"

I shook my head at him and started to close the door. "Wait and see." I giggled at the face he made and then shut the door completely.

I pulled my makeup bag and the nightie out of my purse and got ready. I didn't bother with underwear just slipping the nightie over my damp body. I towel-dried my hair and then shook the curls loose. Then I grabbed my makeup bag and applied a little mascara and lip gloss. After I was all done, I took a quick look in the mirror and didn't hate what I saw. I actually kind of looked sexy.

"Rhiannon?" Jackson called.

I giggled again and then opened the door. Jackson's head immediately turned toward the door.

"Surprise," I said sheepishly and took a step out of the bathroom. The look on his face when he saw me was indescribable. He just stared at me, his eyes wide. I kept waiting for him to say something, but he didn't so I started to get a little self-conscious.

"You don't like it?" I asked quietly. That question broke him out of the apparent spell he was under.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" He stood and walked towards me, still wrapped in his towel. "You look…I don't even have a word to describe it." He shook his head and then took another step closer to me. "I love it, baby." He leaned in and kissed me, another one of those fuckhot kisses that made my knees wobble. I moved my hands in to his hair and pulled him even closer.

We started moving towards the bed and his towel fell off in the process. I felt the back of my knees hit the bed and Jackson broke away from me, already panting.

"Baby, you look amazing in this, but it has to go," he said, tugging at the nightie. I didn't have time to say anything before he was lifting it over my head and tossing it to the floor.

I climbed up on the bed and moved up towards the middle of the bed, while Jackson followed. It was incredibly sexy to watch him crawl up my naked body, planting kisses all the way up my legs and occasionally looking up at me.The look in his eyes was almost animalistic but also loving at the same time. He put his hand underneath my left knee, lifting it up slightly and kissed the inside of my thigh. He did the same to my right knee and I could feel the goose bumps break out all over my body again. He then leaned down and licked my already-drenched pussy.

"Oh shit!" My hips bucked up in response and my hands moved in to his hair to hold him in to place.

He licked me again and then pushed two fingers in to me, pumping them in and curling them up on the way out. He continued to finger and tongue-fuck me while I screamed his name and other incoherent things. When my orgasm hit, I thought I was going to black out.

"Jackson…please…I need you…inside…me," I begged, breathlessly.

He smirked and then grabbed the foil packet out of the table next to the bed. He ripped it open with his teeth and took the condom out of its wrapping. I sat up quickly and grabbed it out of his hand.

"Let me," I said and rolled it down on his hard cock. He moaned as he watched me put it on him and then pushed me back down on the bed. His hands slowly moved my legs apart and he settled himself in between them.

"Do you want me to fuck you, baby girl?" he asked and rubbed his dick against my increasingly wet folds.

"Fuck, yes, Jackson," I half-begged, half-growled.

"I want you to say it. I want you to tell me to fuck you," he whispered as he continued to tease me.

"Fuck me, Jackson. Please."

"Scream it, baby." He slid just the tip inside me, stretching me slightly, and then pulled it right back out.

"Oh God…" I moaned.

"What was that?" he asked as he slid the tip in again this time holding it there.

"I said fuck me Jackson!" I screamed. With that, he thrust himself in hard to the hilt so he was completely sheathed inside me.

We both moaned loudly and I immediately wrapped my legs around his waist bringing him closer and making it tighter around him. He filled me completely before pulling back out slowly and then thrusting back in.

"Oh fuck, baby. You feel so fucking good," he moaned. I moved my hips in sync with him and he cried out in response, "Fuck!"

We soon fell in to a rhythm; thrusting, grunting, moaning, and cussing. I started to feel that familiar tightening in my stomach and knew I was about to lose it.

"Oh baby, I'm almost there," I panted, digging my nails in to his back. He pushed in to me deeper and I came hard.

While I was still coming down from my high I rolled him over so that I was straddling him. I leaned down and kissed him deeply. His fingertips were running down my back slowly. I broke away from the kiss and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Now it's _my_ turn to fuck _you_."

Jackson's eyes widened and then he smiled. I started moving up and down on his dick and his hands moved to the twins. He squeezed and rubbed them while I bounced up and down on him. I leaned back and held on to his thighs for support as I rode the fucking shit out of him.

"Shit baby girl! You keep that up and I'm gonna cum," he growled. He positioned his thumb over my clit and rubbed.

I whore-moaned and rode him faster. "Say my name, Jackson," I demanded suddenly.

_Where the hell did that come from? _I wondered to myself.

His breathing was getting erratic.

"Rhi…Rhi…Ann…" That's all he could seem to get out.

"Say it!"

Suddenly his whole body started to shake and his hips bucked up in to me plunging deep inside me which took me completely off guard and made me cum for the third time.

"Rhiannon!" he yelled as he came at the same time I did. He held on to my hips as he thrust in to me a few more times. After he had somewhat calmed down, I felt his dick twitch and it made me smile.

I collapsed down on to his chest feeling incredibly worn out but amazing at the same time. I rested my head on him and he wrapped his arms around me, running his hand up and down my arm. His chest moved up and down with the rhythm of his breathing that was slowly returning to normal. I could also feel and hear his heart beat and I hummed in satisfaction. I would've been happy just to stay like that, with him inside me, but he was quickly deflating and needed to get the condom off.

With a quick kiss, I got off of him and out of the bed, grabbed my nightie, and headed to the bathroom. He pulled the condom off with a snap and then disposed of it in the trash can.

"Where are you going?" he asked curiously as he took in my still-naked form.

"To clean up," I said matter-of-factly and then closed the bathroom door. Once inside, I looked at myself in the mirror and boy was I sight to see. My lips were dark red and swollen, my hair was a complete mess, and even my boobs looked bigger.

_How does that even happen?_ I laughed to myself while I attempted to smooth out my hair.

I wet a rag and wiped myself to get rid of anything possibly left behind and I felt the sudden urge to pee. I sat down on the toilet and was surprised to find that I was actually a little sore. It _had_ been a while and he wasn't exactly small…

I jumped at the knock on the bathroom door.

"Baby? Are you ok?" Jackson asked from the other side of the door.

"Yeah. I'll be out in a minute." I stood up and slipped my nightie back on over my head and then walked to the door and opened it up. Jackson was standing there, still completely naked. As I was staring him up and down thinking incredibly naughty thoughts, it looked like he was thinking the same thing about me.

"I can't promise to keep my hands off of you if you wear that. Not that I planned on keeping my hands to myself anyway," he said quietly.

"Would it be better if I slept naked?" I teased him.

"Ok I guess you have a point, but who said anything about sleeping?" His green eyes danced with mischief.

"I have to be back to my room by 10, Jackson." I placed my hands on my hips.

"It's only 2 and you can sleep on the way home," he insisted. "Come on, Rhiannon. I'm not gonna see you for a while."

"Yeah, you're right and we definitely need to make up for lost time." I leaned in and kissed him hard. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him. As much as I didn't want to, I pulled away and laughed when I saw the look on his face. "You still need to clean up, right?"

He sighed and nodded. He playfully slapped my ass as he stepped around me, making me jump and cuss at him. He was still laughing while he shut the door. I sauntered over to my purse and pulled my phone out.

_Jesus! Eight unread texts?_

Each of them were from Stacy and they were spread out throughout the time that the concert started and the last one was received just 20 minutes ago.

_Hey just wanted to see how last night went for you. You never called me. – Stacy _(8:11 pm)

_Weren't you supposed to call me today or did you just forget all about me? – Stacy _(9:23 pm)

_Rhiannon Amelia Grey if you don't text me back or something I'm gonna drive down there and pull you out of bed with him. Understand? – Stacy _(9:56 pm)

_Ok seriously, Rhi. I'm a little worried. Call me bitch! – Stacy _(10:32 pm)

_Getting pissed. – Stacy _(10:51 pm)

_Are your fucking fingers broken, Rhi? – Stacy _(11:18 pm)

_I am so not talking to you when you get back, just so you know. – Stacy _(12:46 am)

_What the hell, Rhiannon? Seriously? – Stacy _(1:42 am)

"Oh shit," I mumbled. I immediately sent her a text back.

_Please don't hate me. It's been an extremely busy day and I just forgot to call you. I'm a horrible friend but I promise to give you all the naughty details as soon as I get home. I love you and I'm sorry. –Rhiannon _

Seconds later, my phone beeped.

_I don't hate you but please don't go that long without talking to me again. And naughty details? Did you sleep with him? – Stacy_

I giggled and started to text her back when I noticed Jackson was out of the bathroom.

"Who are you talking to?" he asked.

"Stacy texted me a zillion times today, but I'm just now seeing them. I was just telling her I'd talk to her tomorrow."

I sent the text with just one word: _Yes. – Rhiannon_

I then turned my phone off and climbed in to bed with Jackson, snuggling up to him as close as I possibly could.

"So, not that I'm not extremely happy you changed your mind about the sex thing, but why did you? What happened to change your mind?" Jackson asked as he caressed my arm.

"Well I'm not exactly sure. I mean I've always _wanted_ to sleep with you, but I thought I was hesitant because we weren't in a relationship or really had any idea what we were. But when we sort of talked about how we felt that night after I passed out –" he flinched at the memory of me passing out, "I still didn't feel comfortable with it so I assumed it had to do with something else but I didn't know what." I looked up at him and he looked deep in thought. "I drove myself crazy trying to figure it out but it wasn't until I met your parents and saw you with mine that it became clear what the problem was."

I sat up and faced him. "I wanted to know for sure that I _could _have a future with you. I'm not saying that we will but I can actually see it now. The way you handled Tom and answered his questions with ease, it just amazed me and added even more confirmation that I was ready." Jackson's eyes were soft and kind as he listened to my much too detailed explanation. "I'm not trying to put any pressure on you for a relationship or anything; I'm just trying to tell you how I feel." I looked down and started fumbling with the sheets.

I jumped when Jackson broke the silence. "Who are we kidding?"

I was confused. "What?" I looked up at him and he was smiling.

"I mean, we've met each other's parents, we're spending the night together, and we can't keep our hands off of each other when we're close. Not to mention the fact that I'm fucking crazy about you," he said and cradled my face in his hands. "I think it's pretty obvious that we _are_ in a relationship, whether we know it or not."

I couldn't help but smile that idiotic smile I'd taken to smiling since I'd met him. His returning smile was breathtaking and he kissed me sweetly.

"So what do you think? Do you want to be my girlfriend?" he asked and fidgeted like he was nervous.

"Are you kidding me, Jackson?" I asked and immediately wished I hadn't said it like I did because from the look on his face, he definitely took it the wrong way. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that. I just meant it was a silly question. Of course I want to be your girlfriend." I kissed him on his lips, cheeks, and down to his neck before looking up at him and saying, "And just for the record, I'm fucking crazy about you too." I then continued my kisses down to his stomach and lower…

****

The sun was peeking through the curtains in the room when we finally started to drift off.

"Thank you," I murmured against his chest.

"For what?" he whispered and kissed the top of my head.

"The perfect night," I yawned.

"No need to thank me, baby. You're the one that made it perfect."

"Mmmm…" I was slipping in to unconsciousness and couldn't stop it. I fell asleep wrapped in Jackson's arms, feeling completely happy and content.


	9. Trouble In Paradise

**Hi…Lol! So sorry this is incredibly late. Like ridiculously late. But I have a solution…I'm going to say from now on that I will be posting every 2 weeks instead of every week. That way if I get it posted early, it'll be a pleasant surprise but if I run in to issues (like I have recently), I have an extra week before it's technically late. SO posting schedule will be every other Sunday. Thank you so much for your continued patience and support!**

**As always a big thank you to Tima83 and Starchick7003 BUT I had a very special friend help me with the ending to this chapter so she deserves a BIG thank you as well. So thank you so much Mindy!**

**Hope you enjoy and as always, PLEASE review! I love hearing what you guys think!**

**~o.O.o~**

**Chapter 9: Trouble In Paradise**

The first thing I realized when I tried to roll over was the fact that I couldn't move. I had an arm locked around my waist holding me firmly in place. Moving as little as I possibly could, I glanced up at the clock. It was 9:15.

_I _have_ to get up._

I slipped my arm free and grabbed Jackson's hand, slowly removing his arm from my waist. I'd only gotten his arm up a few inches when he groaned and rolled over to the other side leaving me free to get out of the bed. I thought he was still sleeping until I heard the bed creak and turned around to see him smiling at me. I returned his smile and then let my eyes rake over his body.

His chest was exposed all the way down to his stomach and just above my favorite part of his anatomy. He'd slept naked while I'd slept in my nightie. I figured it didn't get to make much of an appearance last night before Jackson pulled it off so it would only be fair to wear it to bed.

"Where are you going?" Jackson asked. I tore my gaze from his magnificent body and looked up in to his eyes. Of course he was smirking at me.

"Huh?" I worked desperately to un-cloud my mind.

He laughed. "I said where are you going?"

"Oh. I have to get dressed," I mumbled as I started to make my way to the bathroom.

"No. You have to get back in bed," he said and sat up.

"As tempting as that is, I have to get back to the hotel to meet with the guys about the recording thing Lani talked to me about last night."

"You can be a few minutes late," he insisted.

I just laughed and stepped in to the bathroom, pulling my toothbrush out of my purse. I had just finished brushing my teeth and was spitting the toothpaste in to the sink when I felt hands on my ass moving up to my hips. And then I felt a poke…

"Jackson…" I started to stand up straight but he placed his hand on my back and firmly but gently held me in place.

He removed his hand from my back and slipped my nightie up, exposing my back end. At the same time he was moving my feet apart with his foot.

Before I could protest, his hand was between my legs, rubbing the bundle of nerves and causing me to moan loudly.

"You _will_ be a few minutes late," he whispered as he rubbed me again.

I simply nodded and held on to the sink for support.

He slowly removed his hand and I felt him position his self against me. My breath caught as he pushed himself in to me, both of us moaning. He grabbed a hold of my hips and thrust a little harder.

My head flew back and I cried out. He felt absolutely amazing. Every move he made felt incredible. Even more amazing than last night, if that was even possible. As I was contemplating that and enjoying every thrust of his hips, I realized why it felt so good.

_He's not wearing a condom. Oh shit!_

I was about to say something to him when he adjusted himself and plunged deep inside me so instead of alerting him to the fact that he wasn't wearing a condom, a stream of profanities came out of my mouth. I could feel myself getting close so I tried to tell him again.

"Jackson...," I started.

"Fuck yeah, baby," he moaned.

"But…you're…Oh fuck…you're not…not wearing a condom," I finally managed to choke out between thrusts.

His pace slowed but just briefly. "I know. Don't worry," he huffed.

I attempted to say something but instead was overcome with my orgasm. Not long after I started to come down I felt Jackson pull out quickly as he came. As soon as he had calmed down he grabbed a rag, reached around me, and wet it. He then cleaned his mess off my back and I stood, allowing the nightie to slide back down over my back end.

I turned around to face him and was immediately ready for a round two. He was standing there in all his naked glory. He smiled that adorable half smile as he looked at me and I returned his smile, completely lost in the amazing feeling of being here with him in this moment.

I felt my smile fading as I realized this would be the last time I would see him for quite some time. The last time I would see my _boyfriend_ for quite some time. He was about to be ridiculously busy with filming, shows, and such. There would probably be visits here and there but I didn't know exactly what we were going to do about seeing each other because we hadn't really discussed it.

Jackson took in my change of mood and frowned at me. "What's wrong?" he asked.

I tried to smile but I think I failed miserably. "Nothing," I said and looked away.

He caught my arm and turned me around. "Something. Come on baby, talk to me," he said softly.

"It's really not a big deal. I'm just going to miss you, that's all."

He smiled widely. "Let me take a shower and we'll talk about it."

"I need the shower first, mister, and we don't have time to talk about it. I told you I have to get back to the hotel."

"Ok. How about this? We'll take a shower together and then we'll talk about it." He held up his hand, silencing me before I had a chance to protest. "We're gonna have to make time to talk about it. _Understand_?"

I sighed in defeat and we took a very hot and steamy shower and by hot and steamy, I don't mean the water. After we were all clean, dried off, and dressed I called Evan to let him know I'd be a little late and then turned my attention back to Jackson so we could have our little chat.

"I don't mean to be all dramatic or anything. I just feel like we've finally got things sorted out and now I'm not going to see you for a while and what if things change or you get tired of having a girlfriend you never see or –," I'm silenced by Jackson's lips on mine. My mind was immediately erased of any fears or anything at all really. I was completely consumed by him.

When he finally pulled away, he chuckled and looked me right in the eyes. "So have you calmed down now?"

"Mhmm." I smiled.

"Good," he said and then sat down on the bed, patting the space next to him. I sat down and turned to face him. He looked at me, all playfulness gone from his face and eyes. "We're going to see each other. I promise you that. It may not be as often as either of us would like, but we've got phones and texting. We'll make it work."

I tried to convince him that I believed we'd make it work, but as I've previously stated several times, I'm a horrible actress and he saw right through my fake smile and unconvincing words of agreement.

"Hey. I am _not_ going to change my mind or get tired of having a girlfriend I hardly see. Besides, you may not know it yet, but you'll be travelling quite a bit with me. I'm not willing to go months without seeing you so you'll just have to stow away with us." He smiled and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me in to him. I could smell the hotel's soap on his skin and feel the stubble from his chin on my forehead. It was heaven. It was perfect. And I was about to lose it for an undetermined amount of time.

I cleared my throat and pulled away from him. I fiddled with the hem of my khaki shorts as I asked, "So how long are we talking here? You know, until I see you again."

"Well I guess that all depends on you. I'm not the only one who's going to be busy, Rhiannon."

"If I had my way, you'd be coming home with me today." I folded my arms across my chest and pouted as best I could.

He laughed and took my hand in his, entwining our fingers. "Look, we can decide all of this later. The only thing I want you to know right now is that we _will_ see each other, we _will_ talk to each other as much as possible, and we _will_ make this work. Ok?"

I still had my doubts, but I knew we weren't going to get anywhere with this today so I gave in and mumbled an unenthusiastic "Ok".

Our ride to the hotel was quiet and normally I would've tried to strike up some sort of a conversation but I was pretty depressed and just didn't have it in me to try. When we pulled up to the hotel, I thought he would just drop me off but instead he parked and got out.

"You're coming in with me?" I asked, surprised.

"I'm spending every minute I can with you until you leave." He grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight as we made our way to the room.

I knocked loudly on Evan's door as we passed it to let him know I was back and then opened the door to my room, leaving it cracked so the guys could just walk in. No sooner had Jackson and I gotten inside the room than Evan and Eddie came bounding through the door.

"Hey Jackson!" Evan said cheerfully. "Look at that, Rhi. You're only 15 minutes late. I was afraid it would be hours." He laughed and ducked when I swung at him.

_I could've gone for hours…_

I was horrified when I looked around and realized that wasn't just an internal thought. Jackson was looking down and had his hand over his mouth, hiding the fact that he was laughing. Eddie wasn't bothering to hide the fact that he was laughing. And Evan just shook his head.

I felt my face grow hot and wanted more than anything to rewind the past 5 minutes and re-do them.

"Alright, the party can start," Jerry announced as he walked in with Chris right behind him. "Wait. Rhiannon's blushing. What did we miss?" He looked in between us all.

"Nothing. You missed nothing," I said quickly. "Can we get started please?"

Everyone agreed so I launched in to the details that were given to me last night by Lani. Everyone murmured in agreement when I told them we would be recording in Lafayette. Jackson chimed in with a few stories about working with them and assured us that it would be well worth our time and money.

It only took us about 45 minutes to discuss everything and of course the decision was unanimous. We were going to go for it. I called Marty and told him we were a go for the recording so he gave me all the info I'd need and told me to keep him updated.

While I had been on the phone, Jackson and Evan had disappeared. I started to panic. What if Evan had only been acting like he was ok with me and Jackson being together? What if Evan was outside attempting to come between us again or worse…trying to fight Jackson or something?

"Where's Evan and Jackson?" I asked shrilly.

"Calm down, Rhiannon," Chris said. "They just stepped out for a smoke."

I immediately went to the door and flung it open. Evan jumped and dropped his cigarette.

"Fuck Rhiannon!" he yelled and glared at me.

"I'm sorry," I said sheepishly. "I was just coming out to join you guys." I looked over at Jackson to see if I could get a clue as to what was going on but he just smiled that heartbreakingly beautiful smile of his and wrapped his arm around my waist.

"You threw the door open like there was a fucking fire or something. My heart is still beating out of my chest." Evan placed his hand over his heart.

I couldn't help but laugh. "I said I'm sorry, Evan."

"Well now you owe me a cigarette," he laughed and playfully shoved me.

"They're inside. Help yourself." I gestured to the door. He nodded and stepped inside.

"So?" I asked Jackson as soon as Evan was out of sight.

"So what?"

"Don't give me that. What were you guys talking about?" I wasn't giving in.

"You." And that one word answer made the panic return. I guess he saw the change in my demeanor. "Don't worry, baby girl. It was nothing bad." He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, kissed my forehead, and then bent down slightly to kiss my lips. "I think he was giving us his blessing."

"What _exactly_ did he say?"

Jackson didn't get a chance to answer before Evan was back outside.

Evan looked at us both as he lit his cigarette and then held the pack out to me. I took it and forced a smile, lighting my cigarette and taking a long drag.

"So you were worried about what I was saying to Jay, huh?" Evan asked, clearly enjoying himself.

"Jay?" I looked at each of them, surprised that Evan was calling Jackson by the nickname his friends used. That was definitely a good sign.

"Yes. Jay. You know your boyfriend?" Evan seemed impatient and frustrated.

I might have laughed if I wasn't so completely shocked at what Evan had just said. I immediately looked at Jackson and he smiled really big.

I recovered from my shock. "Right." I looked at Jackson and smiled warmly at him. "My boyfriend."

Evan laughed, which only served to annoy me. "Ok, well I'm heading back in and kicking everyone out so I can spend some time with _my boyfriend_ before we have to leave."

"No problem. Is everything taken care of?" Evan asked.

"Yes. I have all the information we'll need."

"Good." Evan winked as he took off to his room. "We're leaving in 45 minutes," he called over his shoulder.

Jackson and I headed back inside and I successfully booted everyone out with only a few snide remarks from the guys. After the last person filed out, I closed the door, locked it, and put my back up against it giving Jackson a lustful look. As his eyes met mine, I bit my lower lip and brought my foot up to rest on the inside of the door.

His mouth fell open in a moment of surprise before the sexiest expression took over his face. He rose from the bed and walked towards me. I pushed myself away from the door and walked towards him as well. We met in the middle and immediately engaged in an incredibly hot kiss. Before long I was the one walking us to the bed. Jackson's hands were in my hair and then on my face, the need and want radiating from him and for once it was nice to feel like I was the one who was wanted more, rather than it being the other way around.

I grabbed his shirt and tugged it up over his head, ruffling his hair just a tad and making me curse him internally because it only made him look sexier. Our lips crashed back together as I unbuttoned his pants but before I could pull them down, he had backed away with his hands up.

_What the hell?_

"Wait, Rhiannon." He was trying desperately to catch his breath.

"What the fuck am I waiting for, Jackson?"

His face flashed a hint of anger but as soon as it was there, it was gone. "I thought we needed to talk," he said calmly. Almost too calmly.

_Great. I'm about to go who knows how long without seeing him and I've managed to piss him off._

I moved over to him and sat down beside him on the bed. "I'm sorry," I mumbled. "I didn't mean to be a bitch."

"You're not a bitch, baby. And as much as I would love to spend the time we have left together making love to you, we still have some things to discuss."

"You're right. We do have some…Wait. Did you just say 'making love'?" I raised my eyebrows in curiosity. I'd only ever heard him call it "fucking". Hell, that's all _I'd_ ever called it.

He chuckled. "Yeah. That's what I said."

"But…well you've never…I mean we've only…" I was at a loss as to how to respond. I knew it didn't mean he was telling me he loved me or anything but it was definitely different and completely unexpected.

He laughed again, the sound of it relaxing me just a bit.

"Well things are a little different now. I don't call sex with my girlfriend, someone I care a lot about, fucking." He shrugged as if it was something that everyone knew.

And once again that stupid smile took up residence on my face. I leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. "I like it," I whispered and kissed him again.

"Rhiannon…" he said against my lips. "We really need to talk."

"We will," I assured him. "But right now, I want to experience this 'making love' you speak of." I gently pushed him back on the bed and straddled him. I held on to his bare chest as I ground my hips in to him and he moaned softly. He pulled me down to him and kissed me deeply, massaging my tongue with his. The kiss became more urgent and mind-blowingly passionate while our hands rubbed, grabbed, and squeezed each other's bodies. Before I had a chance to make the next move, Jackson rolled me over on the bed and immediately unbuttoned my shorts. He pulled them down along with my panties and then started kissing my stomach. He raised my shirt up and continued his kisses all the way up to my breasts where he decided to pay some attention to them and thank God he did. With the way the girls reacted to his touch, they definitely missed him. He felt so good and just as I was about to lose all sense of self control, Jackson leaned back and pulled his pants down, setting free the raging erection he had.

I found myself staring at (not-so-little) Little Jackson until I heard him clear his throat and looked up to find him smirking at me, clearly amused that he'd caught me staring at it.

"Do you have a condom?" I asked him sheepishly.

He smiled as he pulled one out of his jeans pocket and I watched as he rolled it down on his dick. His eyes met mine and he smiled as he leaned back down on top of me. I spread my legs to allow him in between them and our lips met as he slowly entered me. I moaned against his mouth and he sighed. My legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, wanting no space between us.

"You're so fucking beautiful, baby," he breathed. "Oh shit!" His head flew back as I moved my hips up to meet his like I'd done previously. It always drove him crazy and I wanted to do anything to give him the kind of pleasure he was giving me. "Fuck baby," he growled as he pushed a little harder in to me.

I smiled and pulled him back down to me. Our bodies moved together as did our lips. Suddenly, he sat up and pulled my legs up to rest on his chest and positioned himself up a little so that he was hovering over me, being held up by my legs. This new position allowed him to enter me at a different angle so when he thrust himself in to me the next time; it went so deep I could swear I felt it hit the very back of me. I couldn't help the scream that escaped me.

"Holy fuck!" It hurt, but in an incredibly good way.

"Are you ok?" he asked and briefly paused.

"Mhmm," I choked out, my eyes tightly closed. When he didn't continue, I opened my eyes back up to see his face creased with worry. "I'm fine, Jackson. Please don't stop."

He started moving again but gently this time. Both of us moaned at how amazing each other felt but I wanted him to get rough again so I dug my nails in to his legs (since I couldn't reach his back) to give him the hint. He gasped at the pain and looked me right in the eyes, knowing exactly what I wanted him to do after seeing the look on my face so he slammed himself in to me, causing the headboard to hit the wall. We didn't care about the noise as he pounded me again and again. With each thrust he grunted and I cried out.

"Oh fuck, Jackson!" I screamed as my orgasm hit me like a ton of bricks. My body seemed to convulse as my back arched off the bed. I didn't even get a chance to settle back down on the bed before Jackson was cuming. We both collapsed on the bed, our breathing ragged at first but then slowly returning to normal.

"I think it's ok to call _that_ fucking," I said breathlessly and turned my head to smile at him.

He laughed and nodded before turning around to face me. He rested his hand on my cheek, rubbing his thumb back and forth. "I'm gonna miss you," he finally said and there was a hint of sadness in his voice.

"I'm gonna miss you too," I admitted. "But like you said, we have phones with texting. We'll be ok," I assured him and the truth was, I was actually starting to believe it myself. "As soon as we get some sort of schedule ironed out, we can make plans for me to come and see you and vice versa."

Again he only nodded but gave me that amazing smile. The smile that made my heart swell and lady parts tingle all at the same time.

We had just gotten dressed again when there was an obnoxiously loud knock on the door. Jackson went to open it as I quickly threw my stuff back in to my bags.

"You're not even packed yet?" Evan wasn't hiding his annoyance. "Rhi, we have to go."

"It'll just take a minute," I insisted without even looking up.

"Well we have 5 minutes to be checked out of here before they charge us for an extra day."

"I'm hurrying, Evan. I don't know what else you want me to do," I shot back at him and threw the last piece of clothing in to my bag. "See? Done."

I ran down to the office to check us out and return the keys while everyone else loaded the luggage in to the car. When I made it back to them, they were all laughing and cutting up with Jackson. They all seemed to act like they'd known each other all their lives. It was wonderful to witness.

After he'd said goodbye to everyone else and they'd all gotten in to their respective vehicles for the long ride home, Jackson pulled me to him, enveloping me in the most intimate hug yet. He kissed the top of my head and then pulled back far enough to kiss my lips. The kiss, while short, was incredibly sweet. He slid his finger under my chin bringing my face up so my eyes could meet his.

"Call me when you get home," he said. "And please be careful."

I smiled and leaned in to give him one more kiss. "I will. Same goes for you."

He grabbed my hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing it quickly before letting it go. I climbed in to the car and looked back at him as he smiled and waved. Evan honked as we pulled out of the parking lot and headed home.

The first half of the ride home was spent texting Stacy, apologizing endlessly about not answering her texts the night before and then turning off my phone to ignore her. After promising to make it up to her by purchasing the wine for tomorrow night and swearing to give her all the details of my night with Jackson, she finally dropped it. I told her about us deciding to go ahead and give a relationship a try and how he had called it "making love" instead of "fucking". I also told her how great Evan and the rest of the guys got a long with Jackson and how my mom and Tom seemed to like him. When my fingers started to hurt from all the texting, I told her I'd tell her the rest when I saw her the next night.

I settled in to my seat and it didn't take long to fall asleep. By the time I woke up we were already back in Baton Rouge and minutes away from my apartment.

As we pulled in next to my car, I felt a sense of relief at being home but also a longing to be with Jackson. I decided to wait to call him until after I had gotten in and settled and had time to call my parents to let them know we'd gotten home safe and see how far out they were. They surprised me by saying they were actually going to be spending one more night in Dallas because they were having so much fun. I got off the phone with my mom only after promising to come over sometime this week for dinner.

I plopped down on my couch with a glass of wine and called Jackson.

"Hey there beautiful," he answered.

"Hey yourself, handsome."

"You home?" He stifled a yawn.

"Yep. Have you slept yet?"

"Not yet but I will soon. I wanted to hear from you," he said.

"Jackson, you have to get some rest. After the last few nights, I don't know how you haven't collapsed." I felt like I sounded like my mother and I didn't like it so I shut my mouth.

"I'm used to it, baby girl. Don't worry about me," he said gently. I was glad I hadn't pissed him off. "How about you? Did you sleep on the way home?"

"After getting the third degree and being relentlessly bitched out by Stacy through text messages, yes. I got a few hours' nap."

He laughed and then yawned.

"Listen, you need to get some rest and I need to get some shit done before I have to head back to work in the morning. I'll talk to you tomorrow," I said, not really wanting to get off the phone with him but knowing I needed to.

"Ok darlin'," he said and sighed. "I miss you." His voice was a whisper when he said it.

"I fucking miss you so much already." I unleashed exactly how much I missed him through my voice.

"I'm gonna see you soon, baby. I promise you that," he said with so much conviction that I couldn't help but believe him and feel better about it almost immediately.

"Ok. Sleep well, stupid Texan boy." I giggled at my little nickname for him as a result of one of my many blunders. It seems my mouth was always getting me in to trouble where he was concerned.

"Don't forget sexy," he laughed.

"Of course not," I said and joined in his laughter.

After hanging up with Jackson I turned on some music while I tidied up and did some laundry. It was 9 o'clock before I realized I'd had about 5 glasses of wine and nothing to eat. As a matter of fact I hadn't eaten all day that I could recall. I'd been so in to the music and my tasks that I'd completely lost track of how much I'd had to drink and how much time had passed. Needless to say, I was drunk.

I stumbled my way in to the kitchen and rummaged around looking for anything quick and easy to eat. I finally decided on some kind of microwave meal and popped it in. I watched the plate spin round and round in the microwave and found myself getting lost in thought. A smile formed on my lips as I remembered the concert and how much fun my parents had. And then my thoughts drifted to Jackson and our first night together. When I heard the beep signaling the end of the cook time, I absentmindedly took the food out of the microwave and immediately dropped it.

"Shit!" I hadn't even bothered to grab a potholder or anything and I had just burned the fuck out of my hand. To make it worse, I had dropped the plate and spilled the food everywhere.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," I muttered as I grabbed a towel to clean up the mess. It didn't take long to clean it up and then I had my hand to tend to. After putting some aloe on it and then making myself a sandwich to eat, I settled in for some TV before bed. Unfortunately I underestimated how tired I was and I fell asleep on the couch after finishing my sandwich.

I woke up feeling disoriented. At first I didn't realize where I was because I wasn't in my room. I was still on the couch in my living room. I sat up slowly and stretched. Yeah, I was definitely going to pay for sleeping on the couch. Then I looked at the clock, a new worry forming in my head.

_What if I've overslept?_

I was relieved to see that it was 7 o'clock. So after stretching some more and putting on some coffee, I headed to my bedroom and in to my bathroom to shower and get ready for work. Thirty five minutes later, I headed back in to the kitchen to have my coffee and a bowl of cereal before driving to work.

Work was uneventful. We were heading in to a down time for travel so there wasn't that much to do. Linda, Mia, and I went to lunch together where I had to dish all the details of the show this past weekend.

"So Evan is the lead singer?" Linda asked.

I nodded and took another bite of my salad.

"Mom doesn't know how she feels about me dating a guy in a rock band," Mia snickered.

"It's not that, Mia. I just want to make sure you are taken care of," Linda countered. "You seem to really like this boy."

"I don't like him, Mom. I love him." Mia looked over at her mother, daring Linda to challenge her words. It seemed like they'd had this conversation once or twice.

"Have you met him yet, Linda?" I asked hoping to break some of the tension.

"No, I haven't. I've offered to make us all dinner one night, but Mia refuses."

"Because I know what you're going to say, Mom," Mia's agitation was only getting worse.

"Why don't we have a dinner party at Stacy's?" I asked quickly. My intention was to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand and there was an all-out screaming match between Mia and Linda. I never once thought they'd actually agree to it.

They both looked at me and smiled. Linda was happy because she'd finally get to meet the boy her daughter was so enamored with and Mia was happy because the meeting would be taking place on neutral ground instead of at her parents' house.

I listened to them talk excitedly about the dinner party all the while thinking, _Stacy's gonna fucking kill me._

The rest of the afternoon was spent lazing around the office and chatting some more about Evan and the dinner party. I tried to assure Linda that even though she may not like the fact that he's in a rock band, he's a really great guy and treats Mia with nothing but the utmost respect. It seemed to pacify her a little bit but she was reserving judgment either way until she met him. I smiled to myself when I thought about how nervous I was to meet Jackson's parents and how easily he handled meeting mine.

_Jackson…_

I hadn't heard from him all day. I tried not to let it get to me as I knew he was super busy but I missed him. I missed his voice and his smile and his kiss…

"Rhiannon?" Linda asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

"Hmm? What?"

"Honey, are you ok? You seem a little down." There's just no getting around the fact that Linda was the sweetest person ever.

I gave her my best smile and nodded. "Just thinking, that's all."

"Well it's time to close up. Go have some fun and relax, ok?"

I glanced at the clock and sure enough, it was 5 o'clock. "What about the paperwork? I'm supposed to stay till 6," I reminded her.

"I've got it tonight. You go on." She smiled at me and waved me out with her hand.

After making certain she didn't need me, I gathered my things and headed to my car. I stopped by the liquor store to get some wine and called Stacy once I got home with it.

"Hey!" Stacy answered seemingly out of breath.

"Hey Stace. What were you doing?" I asked.

"Nothing," she answered a little too quickly. "I thought you said you were going to call me when you got off work."

"I am off work. Linda let me go early today," I said. "Are you sure you weren't doing anything? You sound out of breath."

She laughed but it sounded forced. "My phone was in the kitchen and I was upstairs. I had to run down to get it." She cleared her throat and then cleared it again, a sure sign she was lying.

"O-_kay_," I drug out the last part so it would be well emphasized. "So I'll be over at 7. I've got the wine and I'll pick up the food on the way there. Chinese still ok?"

"Yep," she said and giggled. And then the craziest thing happened. I heard a male laugh too. It was really soft and I almost missed it. Almost.

"Stacy –," I started but was abruptly interrupted.

"Rhi, I gotta go. I'll see you at 7."

And before I had a chance to stop her, she'd hung up. I sat there looking at my phone wondering what the hell just happened. Stacy obviously had a guy there and did not want me to know about it.

_Why wouldn't she want me to know about it?_

I was pondering that and getting nowhere when my phone rang, successfully scaring the hell out of me and making me drop it on the floor. I bent down to pick it up, hoping it would be Jackson but…

"Hey Mom," I answered.

"Hi honey. Tom and I are home. We just wanted to let you know we made it ok."

I chatted with Mom for a few more minutes and then hung up. I got a text from Mia thanking me again for offering the dinner party and then a text from Stacy making sure I didn't forget the extra egg rolls but no word from Jackson.

I hadn't spoken to him in almost 24 hours.

_So much for making it work…_I thought and then quickly dismissed it. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that if he could've called, he would've.

_He could've at least sent a text, though._ I mentally slapped myself for being so unreasonable. I knew he was going to be busy and if he was getting some rest, well that would be worth not getting to talk to him.

My pep talk worked to ease my mind for a little while at least, but I was back to obsessing about it as I left the Chinese place and headed for Stacy's house.

We spent the first part of the evening arguing about the visitor Stacy swore she didn't have earlier even though I knew better and then after that argument was abandoned, we ate cold Chinese food and watched some silly scary movie while drinking wine.

When the movie was over, I started to leave but my anger got the best of me so I whirled around to face Stacy.

"You know, I don't have a clue why you won't tell me who was here earlier. You just continue to lie to me about it even though I clearly heard a male's voice." She just looked at me so I continued. "And it has to be someone you're interested in because you would've told me if it was just some repair man or something so I just have to ask. Why are you keeping this mystery man a secret and why do you feel the need to hide it from me? I'm your best friend for fuck's sake! Or am I? The way you're acting about this has me questioning it all. First, you refuse to tell me about you and Graupner and I get it. You think it's embarrassing and blah, blah, blah but seriously? You expect me to give you details about me and Jackson but you can't even tell me who was here with you earlier? Do you really just not trust me? I mean come on, Stacy, give me something to go on here because it's not making a damn bit of sense."

By the time I'd finished my rant, Stacy was just looking at me wide-eyed. There was a hint of hurt on her face and I immediately felt bad but I was right, damn it and I needed to stand my ground so I just stood across from her looking straight in to her eyes, not budging one inch.

Finally after an eternity, it seemed, of silence Stacy spoke up.

"I'm going to interpret the fact that you've been checking your phone every 5 minutes as the fact that Jackson hasn't called you today. I'm also going to assume your little outburst was part of your frustration that he hasn't called so I'm going to forgive you this time. But just this once. If you ever talk to me like that again…" She just let it stop right there. "I'll talk to you tomorrow. Good night." With that, she walked to the front door and opened it, gesturing for me to leave.

I sighed heavily and marched out the door, but on my way out, I said over my shoulder, "Actually, you won't be talking to me tomorrow or any other day for that matter until you feel like sharing so I'll just wait to hear from you." I didn't give her time to respond before I took off to my car and left.

The next day was horrible. And by horrible I mean the shittiest day ever. I overslept because I stayed up late waiting to receive a response from the text message I'd sent Jackson when I got home last night but it never came. I'd thought about calling him but didn't. I didn't have a good reason. I just didn't call.

Then to make matter's worse, since I was in such a rotten mood, Mia and I got in to it pretty bad over the dinner party because I told her we could no longer have it at Stacy's because I wasn't speaking to her. When I explained why, she told me I was being childish so I laid in to her. Not physically, but verbally. I upset Mia so much that she decided not to come back from lunch and because of that, I got a stern talking to from Linda and later I got a nice message via text from Evan telling me that I better apologize or he was going to beat my ass.

Everyone was pissed at me. But that wasn't the worst part. The very worst part was the thoughts that were going through my head. The reasons I had come up with as to why I hadn't heard from Jackson. I had convinced myself that all he'd wanted from me was sex. It had all been a game to him and now that he'd gotten it, he didn't need to keep up appearances anymore. He didn't need to call or text because he didn't plan to call or text me ever again. Sure I'd argued with myself saying that he didn't have to ask me to be his girlfriend, but he did. And while that might have swayed me just a tad, in the end my insecurities won out.

When I got home, I put my phone on the charger, poured a glass of wine left over from Stacy's last night, and made myself a quick salad to eat for dinner. The wine was relaxing me so much that I just continued to drink it and when I was out of that, I raided the vodka I had stored in my freezer. About half way through the 5th of Absolut vodka, my phone rang. I stumbled over to it and looked at the caller I. D. I couldn't be sure who it was due to the numbers being all blurred together, but I had a feeling I knew who it was and I was just drunk enough to take the chance.

"Well, well. Look who the fuck it is. Nice of you to grace me with a phone call, oh sweet boyfriend of mine," I slurred in to the phone's receiver.

"Rhiannon? Are you drunk?" Thank God it actually _was_ him. I might not have been embarrassed at the time, but I sure as hell would've been when I was sober again.

"Yep. What of it?" I hiccupped and then laughed without humor.

"Baby girl, I'm so sorry I haven't called. It's been fucking crazy and I'm - I'm just sorry ok?"

"Yeah? Well so am I," I seethed.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" I was successfully pissing him off. Well good. He deserved it.

"You wanna know what that's supposed to mean?" I asked sarcastically. "Because I don't think you really do. I don't think you want to hear what I have to say about it because trust me, you won't like it."

"You're really going to do this right now? You're going to pick a fight when I actually have a fucking minute to call you. When I can actually hear your voice after missing the fucking hell out of you, you're going to ruin it by bitching at me." Although his voice was calm and controlled, it was easy to tell just how pissed off he was, but that wasn't stopping me.

"You couldn't have answered my god damn text last night? Spent 2 seconds of your oh-so-busy life to text back and at least say that you were alive?" My voice was getting louder and louder until I was dangerously close to yelling at him.

"I never got a fucking text from you last night, Rhiannon. If I had, I would've texted you back. Believe me or not, I don't really care because obviously this relationship isn't going to work if you can't understand that there will be sometimes that I can't call and it might be for days. It fucking sucks that it happened so soon, but there are going to be times like this and I can't help that."

I sat there with my mouth hanging wide open. He'd just said this relationship wasn't going to work. He was breaking up with me.

The tears started to fall and for some unknown reason, I hung up on him. Just hung up the phone without saying another word. But just as soon as I sat the phone down, it started ringing again.

I answered but didn't say a word. I just held the phone up to my ear.

"Why'd you hang up on me?" He was furious.

"I'm sorry," I whispered and then sniffed.

"Well you should be – wait. Are you crying?" His voice instantly went soft.

"No," I tried to strengthen my voice but it betrayed me by breaking.

"Baby, please don't cry. I never meant to make you cry."

"It doesn't matter though right? You're breaking up with me," I said with a little more conviction.

"What? Breaking up with you? What are you talking about?" Jackson sounded genuinely confused but I knew I'd heard him correctly.

"You said this relationship was never going to work," I reminded him. "Call me crazy, but that sounded like you were breaking up with me."

"I did say that but I didn't mean it like that. I was pissed off, ok? I just wanted to talk to you and all you seemed to want to do was fight. Don't get me wrong, I understand why you're upset and I really am sorry but I thought we talked about this. I thought you understood." His voice was practically pleading with me to understand.

"I do understand, Jackson. Honestly, I get it and for the first day, I kept reminding myself about what we talked about but when you never answered my text last night – which I did send you a text and I have no idea why you didn't get it – well it started to bug me. Then there was no word from you today until now so I guess I just kind of let my mind run away with me and I got certain ideas in my head that kind of stuck and just made things worse," I realized I was rambling so I cut myself off, took a deep breath, and decided to get right to the point. "What I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry. I over reacted and I was a complete bitch to you. Please don't hate me."

He sighed in to the phone but it didn't sound like an angry sigh. It sounded more like a sigh of relief.

"I don't hate you, baby," he said softly. "I'm kinda crazy about you, actually." He laughed and I could almost hear the smirk through the phone. It made me miss him so much more.

"Well I promise you from this point on I'm going to try to live up to the pedestal you've apparently put me on," I laughed. "Seriously, no more outbursts from me about this. That is unless you go weeks without talking to me. Then I might have a problem with that."

"I wouldn't go weeks without talking to you. That I can promise," he said, his tone getting serious again. "Can we talk about something else now? Please?"

So we did. I went on to tell him about my fight with Stacy and pretty much everyone else in my life and he told me that Stacy and I were too good of friends to let something as stupid as whether she was seeing someone or not come between us. He assured me that when Stacy was ready to tell me everything, he had no doubt that she would. He also talked me in to apologizing to Mia and gave me the idea to hold the dinner party at my parents' house.

After almost 2 hours on the phone including a little naughty talk, we hung up.

I went to bed with a whole new outlook. I wasn't going to let my stupid insecurities get in the way of my happiness. I knew it was going to be a hard habit to break but I really cared about Jackson. I deeply cared about Jackson and I owed it to him to at least try. So that's what I intended to do.


	10. Long Distance Phone Call

**I have come up with an idea…An idea to keep me from posting late ever again. The next time I post late (unless there is a very good reason for it), I will record myself dancing ridiculously and post it on my blog for you guys to see and laugh at. Hopefully the threat of horrible embarrassment will keep me on schedule. Do we like this idea?**

**Remember: My posting schedule was changed from every Sunday to every other Sunday so you guys can't make me do the video unless I don't post by Sunday, Sept. 25****th****.**

**HUGE thank yous to my pre-readers, Starchick7003 and Mindy! I love you both! Also my Beta, Tima83, is the best Beta EVER! Just so you know…**

**The biggest thank you of all goes to you guys. Without y'all I wouldn't have any one to write this story for so…THANK YOU! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 10: Long Distance Phone Call**

The following weeks went by so quickly, it hardly seemed real. The next few days after mine and Jackson's fight, I made amends with everyone I'd pissed off in the midst of my ridiculous temper tantrum. I'd apologized to Mia and after making sure it was ok with my mom, told Mia and Linda the dinner party would be taking place at my parents' house. Everyone seemed to be pleased with it so that was that.

The party went well and Mia's parents and my parents got along great. My mom fell in love with Mia. Linda didn't seem as enthusiastic about Evan as my mom was about Mia, but he grew on her…at least a little bit anyway.

Stacy was a little bit harder to apologize to. I was still really hurt that she didn't seem to trust me enough to tell me what was going on with her. After a few nights of screaming matches over the phone, I finally just showed up at Stacy's house waving my white flag of truce. We came to an agreement that she would tell me when she was ready and left it at that. It didn't take long for her to divulge her secret but it wasn't anything like I'd thought. She was dating Eddie and had been dating him since before Dallas. I teased Eddie relentlessly about his hypocrisy pertaining to women and how he'd criticized Evan and Mia's relationship when he was engaged in one of his own. In the end, though, I made sure they both knew how happy I was for them. They actually made a pretty perfect couple though I did tease Stacy about how she'd broken Graupner's heart.

Jackson and I had only gone a full 24 hours without speaking 3 times since our fight and even then, he'd sent me a text message telling me he was busy and would call me when he could. Abolish Luck had a show at Boudreaux's on the last Friday of August so Jackson came in to town for that. It'd been about 3 and a half weeks since we'd seen each other so even though he was only able to stay for one night, we made the best of it. Neither of us slept and every inch of my apartment was properly christened. A week later I flew in to L.A. for the weekend and though he promised he'd show me the sights, we didn't leave his house except to get food.

The whole month of September and half of October was spent with Abolish Luck in the studio. We might've been done sooner had it not been for everyone's crazy schedules and Evan's perfectionism when it came to his vocals. The finished product was nothing short of awesome so the time and effort was well worth it. We had a conference call with Marty, Jackson, and Jerad where we discussed some future shows we could join them for and let them hear the fruits of our labor. Unfortunately for Jackson and myself, it didn't look like we could financially swing touring with them until after the first of the year. With the cost of recording and still the cost of copying and distributing the album, it just wasn't going to be possible any time soon.

I had planned to fly up to Vancouver to spend some time with him in early November but I came down with a terrible cold that actually turned out to be Mono and spent the better part of 2 weeks in the bed. I was finally feeling well enough to walk around the week before Thanksgiving, but had so much work to catch up on I barely got to even text Jackson.

Now here we were the night before Thanksgiving and I had come to spend the night at my parents' house so I could be up early to help my mother cook and whatever else she needed me to do. We were having a big Thanksgiving dinner complete with my Aunt Sophie and her 2 kids, my cousins Carrie and Layla. Layla was married and pregnant so her husband would be joining us as well. Since Mia's family lived all over the place, they weren't going to be able to make it to a formal Thanksgiving dinner all together so we invited Mia and her parents to join us. Add the rest of us to the mix, and we were going to have a house full. Mom was really looking forward to it though. She loved big family gatherings.

"Hey Mom, don't you think this is enough green beans?" I asked as I pulled out the fourth bag of frozen green beans. She'd bought the green beans fresh, shelled them, and then frozen them so her and Tom would have plenty of fresh green beans to eat during the winter months but since we added a few more guests to our Thanksgiving dinner, she was going to have to use a lot more of them than she'd planned.

"Maybe," she said as she eyed the bags, no doubt mentally calculating how much that would give each person.

"Well you've only got three more bags in here so if you want to have some for later, I think this should be it."

"You're right." Mom smiled and then went back to the pies she was working on. She always liked to take care of the desserts the day before so that she would have plenty of time to make the entrée's the day of so they'd be nice and fresh.

I laid all four bags of green beans on a towel to thaw out and was headed to help my mom with whatever else she needed, but didn't make it because my phone started ringing my individual ring tone for Jackson.

A smile lit up my face and my mom laughed and waved me toward the phone.

"Hey," I answered.

"Hey baby girl." I could actually _hear_ the smile through the phone. "How are you feeling today?"

"I'm ok I think," I said. "I mean I still get tired really easy but I feel better than I have in a while so I'm on the mend." I grabbed my cigarettes and walked out to the front porch, taking my usual seat on the front steps.

"I'm glad to hear that," he said and there was a hint of something in his voice. Something I couldn't quite put my finger on, but it definitely wasn't good.

"Are you ok, Jackson?"

"Yeah, baby. I'm fine," he assured me. "I just miss you and wish I could be there with you right now."

Sadness was what I had heard in his voice. He was sad because he missed me.

"I do have a sort of care package on the way for you, though," Jackson said, claiming my full attention and immediately making me curious.

"A care package?" I asked. "And what does this care package consist of?"

"Oh a few odds and ends," he laughed.

"What does that even mean? When am I getting it? Have you sent it already?"

"Whoa, baby, one question at a time." He laughed again while I waited patiently for him to begin to answer my questions. "Ok I'm not sure when you're going to get it. Yes I have sent it already. And a few odds and ends, means a few odds and ends."

"Jackson…," I whined.

"I'm not telling you what's in it," he insisted. "I want it to be a surprise." He was clearly enjoying himself which was a welcomed change from the sadness I had heard earlier so I let it slide.

"Ok," I gave in. "But just so you know, I'm going to put together my own little care package for you and I'm _not_ telling _you_ what's in it either." I knew I sounded childish but it was all in fun.

Thankfully, he took it as a joke as well and laughed. "Well that's your prerogative, sugar, but I'm still not telling you what's in it."

I sighed but didn't push it any further. We continued to talk about everything and anything. He described in a lot of detail what he was doing at the moment and I bored him with the details of our big Thanksgiving get together. It was nice just to talk to him the way we used to.

After Jackson and I hung up, I decided to go on to bed, figuring it would be best to get a good night's rest to prepare for the pandemonium that the next day was sure to bring.

My mother woke me up the next morning bright and early, well 8 am was considered bright and early for me when I was off work. I took a quick shower and got ready for the day and then headed downstairs, following the smell of eggs and bacon. Sure enough when I entered the kitchen, there was a plate sitting at the bar for me complete with a glass of orange juice.

"Mom, you didn't have to do this. You've got enough cooking to do today," I said as I took my seat.

"Oh hush, Rhiannon," she retorted. "You need a proper breakfast if you're going to make it through the long day ahead. We all do." She brought another 2 plates with her to the bar and sat them down just as Tom walked in to the kitchen freshly showered and shaved. I could smell the aftershave all the way across the room.

"Geez, Tom. A little overkill, don't you think?" I laughed but he just shrugged and sat down on the other side of my mother.

We talked as we ate about what each of our jobs was going to be to prepare for the houseful of guests that would be arriving by 3. My job was mainly to clean and help set the table while Tom had to run a few errands and Mom cooked. When we'd all finished our breakfast and I'd helped Mom load the dishwasher, we separated off in to our respective jobs and got to work.

Tom was home in plenty of time to turn on the first football game of the day and I finished mopping, dusting, and straightening all the downstairs rooms that might possibly be visited in the course of the evening so after watching a little of the game with Tom, I decided to try and give Jackson a call.

I stepped outside and sat in the rocking chair on the front porch instead of the steps and dialed Jackson's number.

"Hey there, sugar," he answered, that sexy southern accent filling up my ear and making me wish I was right next to him so I could fuck him silly.

"Hey babe," I said, hoping to sound even remotely as sexy as he did. "Happy Thanksgiving."

"You too, sweet heart. How are you feeling?"

"Better. A lot better, actually," I said cheerfully. "Are you having a good day?" I asked tentatively knowing Jackson was upset that he couldn't be home with his family this Thanksgiving.

"It's going ok," he said trying to keep his voice light. "I miss you and my family but it's really not that bad. How about you? How's your day going?" I could tell he was trying to get the subject off of him and, considering how upset it was making him, I was happy to let him so I told him every mundane detail until he had to get off the phone. I reluctantly said goodbye making sure he knew I'd be calling him later and then went back inside.

It was 1:30 by the time I had finished setting the table, so I ran upstairs to get ready. I changed out of my T shirt and jeans and in to a black plaid A-line skirt that came just above the knee and a white button up long sleeved shirt with ruffles. The outfit was the product of a recent shopping trip with Stacy who had apparently taken it as her life's mission to give me some style. I finished off the outfit with black pantyhose and black flats adding only the Claddagh necklace my mother had bought for me and silver hoop earrings. I straightened my hair and applied my make-up. When I was satisfied at how I looked, I took a picture and sent it to Jackson. It was a recent tradition we'd adopted so that we could still "see" each other every day. I realized when I sent my picture to him, I hadn't received one from him yet so I followed the picture message up with a text asking him to please send me his picture.

Moments later, I got a text.

_Holy shit! You look hot baby! – J Action_

I giggled and then sent him a response.

_Right. Now where's my picture? – Rhiannon_

_You do look hot. The only way you'd look hotter is if you were naked. – J Action_

_Monroe Jackson Rathbone! – Rhiannon_

_Rhiannon Amelia Grey! – J Action_

_Just send me my fucking picture and maybe you'll get a surprise later. – Rhiannon_

_A surprise? Like maybe a picture of you naked? – J Action_

_I said maybe and only if you send me my picture, damnit. – Rhiannon_

It took a minute, but I got the picture message. He was puckering up his lips and the caption on the picture read, _A kiss for my baby. Happy Thanksgiving!_

My heart melted and I immediately made his picture the background on my phone.

_Thank you, babe. You're now the background of my phone. – Rhiannon_

_That's funny…you're the background of my phone too! – J Action_

_Haha! Have a great day! I'll call you later. – Rhiannon_

_Ok sweet heart. – J Action_

I put my phone on the charger and went back downstairs.

It wasn't long before everyone started to arrive. Aunt Sophie and Carrie were the first arrivals followed soon after by Mia's parents and then Layla and her husband, Seth. The last to show up were Mia and Evan.

"Something smells incredible," Evan said as he walked in to the kitchen and wrapped his arms around our mother.

"Evan! Mia!" Mom clapped with delight and hugged them both. "Now we can sit down and eat."

We made our way in to the dining room and took our seats around the table. After a prayer, led by Tom, we dug in. Mom passed the side dishes around while Evan and Tom worked together to cut the turkey. Once we were all properly served, we began to eat and talk.

Layla told us that they'd just found out they were having a girl to which my mother and Aunt Sophie were pleased to hear. After the excitement had calmed down from Layla's announcement, us girls talked amongst ourselves while the men discussed sports.

We were all finished eating when Evan stood, effectively getting all of our attention.

He looked euphoric, he was so happy and he kept glancing down at Mia whose cheeks were flushed and she wore the same expression on her face as Evan.

"Everyone, I have an announcement to make," Evan said, his smile growing wider as he grasped Mia's hand and helped her out of her seat.

We all looked around at each other, already forming an opinion of what the announcement was going to be but not daring to steal their moment from them.

Evan walked around to the other side of Mia and lifted her left hand up, displaying a beautiful diamond solitaire ring on her delicate ring finger. Gasps filled the room as Evan said, "Mia and I are getting married!"

Mom immediately stood and pulled them both in for a hug. There were jumbled words and people standing but I was just sitting there in shock. I wasn't the only one. Linda looked like she was going to be sick.

_Poor Linda…_

After everyone had congratulated the happy couple (including me and Linda) everyone started to leave the table. Some went outside, while others (mainly the men) went to the living room to see what was up with the game. Mom, Carrie, and I got to work cleaning up the food from the dining room table, while Aunt Sophie rinsed off the dishes and placed them in the dishwasher.

"So how about Mia and Evan?" Aunt Sophie asked as we brought more dishes in to the kitchen.

I just shrugged and pretended to be busy so my mom chimed in, "I think it's wonderful!" she gushed.

"You don't think it's a little, I don't know, sudden?" Aunt Sophie countered.

_I sure as hell do_, I thought to myself. At least I thought it was to myself until I looked up and saw that I had indeed suffered another verbal filter failure. This time I didn't really care.

"Rhiannon, your brother is happy and I happen to think Mia is very good for him," Mom spoke calmly.

"Well it's a good thing it was them and not you and Jackson surprising us with that kind of news." Tom had walked in to the kitchen and decided to throw his two cents in. I don't know if he was trying to piss me off but he did regardless.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I shot back.

"I didn't mean anything by it, Rhiannon," Tom quickly answered, holding his hands up in surrender. "I just think there's a difference between Mia and Evan's relationship and yours and Jackson's."

"Really? What's the difference?" I stood there with my arms folded across my chest waiting for his answer.

"Well I think it's pretty obvious, Rhiannon," Carrie said.

"Carrie, hush." Aunt Sophie knew that this conversation wasn't any of their business and that I wouldn't appreciate tem butting in.

"Rhiannon, please. I wasn't trying to start anything, honey." Tom tried to soothe me. Unfortunately for him, I wasn't in the mood to be soothed.

"Right. Thanks for the support of _my_ relationship, Tom. I really appreciate it." I whirled around and grabbed my cigarettes and stalked out of the kitchen before anyone else could say a word. Instead of going out front like I normally did, I decided to go out back to try and avoid running in to anyone. I'm not sure why I thought my luck would change for the better now…

"Hey, Rhi."

"What the fuck do you want, Evan?" I didn't look up at him.

"Whoa. Tone down the bitchy attitude a little bit," Evan said as he took a seat next to me on the swing. "I come in peace and all that bull shit." He laughed.

"Great," I scoffed and took another drag of my cigarette.

"Hey, Tom's only looking out for you, you know?"

"No I don't know, Evan. The only thing I know is that none of this shit would've happened if you hadn't made your grand announcement." I wasn't really mad at him but I needed to unload on someone and he just happened to be there at the moment.

"Look, I understand why you're upset. Really, I do. But there's no need for you to be a fucking bitch about me and Mia. I'm happy. I thought you'd be happy for me too."

"I am happy for you, ok? I'm sorry. I'm just really pissed off right now. Maybe now is not the best time to talk to me?" I shrugged.

"I guess not," he said as he rose from the swing. "If you do want to talk, let me know." With that he walked back inside.

I stayed out there for a good while until my mother finally came out and told me that everyone was leaving and it would be rude of me to not at least say goodbye. So I went inside, even though I would've rather done anything else, and saw everyone off. I tried to avoid Tom, but only made it half way up the stairs before he called after me, asking me to come back down and talk to him.

"Tom, with all due respect, I don't really want to talk about this with you."

"Just listen to me, please?" he asked but didn't wait for me to answer before he continued. "It's not that I don't like him, Rhiannon. I actually do like him and I know he's good to you but even with the best of intentions, I don't think this relationship is going to turn out well for you two. He's always gone and I know how much it hurts you not having him around. How long do you think you'll be able to do this, honey?"

"I'll be able to do this for as long as he'll have me, Tom. I don't want to be without him and if that means I have to suffer a little to experience all the happiness he gives me than I'll suffer it with a smile on my face," I said. "Can I go upstairs now? I'm kind of tired."

"I'm just worried about you, sweet heart. I can't help it," he said softly, looking down. "I love you like you're my own. Don't forget that."

"I know, Tom. I love you too." I started to walk up the stairs but stopped and looked over my shoulder at him. "And thanks. I really do appreciate you looking out for me." He nodded and stepped back in to the living room as I climbed the rest of the stairs.

I changed in to some black cotton shorts and a white tank top and put my hair up in a ponytail. After I'd washed my face and brushed my teeth, I went back to my bedroom and called Jackson.

I immediately told him about Evan and Mia's engagement to which he was very thrilled to hear about. Then I told him about what Tom had said about us.

"Baby, he's just worried about you and I can't say that I blame him," Jackson said.

"What do you mean by that?" I hadn't meant to sound as pissed as I did.

"Easy, sugar. I don't mean anything by it. I'm just saying I'd probably feel the same way about my daughter."

"Yeah, me too," I agreed. "I did tell him that I appreciated his concern but I also told him that I don't want to be without you and I'll deal with the distance as long as you'll have me." I blushed a little at how open I was being about the way I felt about him.

He just chuckled. "I have no intention of letting you go anytime soon."

"Well good because I may have to stalk you if you did. You know, jilted lover shit and all." We both apparently found that hilarious and proceeded to laugh.

As our laughter was dying down, Jackson said, "I love you."

I almost choked. "What?"

_There's no way I heard him right…but I did hear him right! Oh my God! _

"What." His was more like a statement rather than a question.

"What did you just say?" I was standing now, pacing back and forth in my bedroom. I wanted to hear him say it again. I needed to make sure I hadn't dreamed it.

"When?" I could hear the amusement in his voice and I was having none of it.

"Don't fuck with me, Jackson, just answer the question."

He laughed so loud I had to pull the phone away from my ear to keep from going partially deaf.

"Baby, please?" I pleaded softly, hoping this new approach would get me what I wanted and thankfully, it did.

"Ok, ok. I wanted to say this to you face to face because it would mean so much more that way but seeing as how that's not really an option right now, I guess I'll just have to settle for saying it over the phone." He took a deep breath and then said, "Rhiannon, I'm in love with you."

I stopped dead in my tracks and smiled. And yes it was that ridiculously stupid smile. And then I may or may not have melted in to a puddle of goo…

"I'm in love with you too, Jackson," I half whispered. This is going to sound all kinds of ridiculous but my heart actually fucking leapt! It was doing a happy dance in my chest, I could feel it.

"Good. I would hate for that to be one sided. Talk about awkward," he laughed.

_Well at least it was romantic for a second._

"You're such a dork," I teased.

"Well that may be, but you're in love with this dork so I guess that would make you a dork lover."

"And since a dork is a whale penis, you're saying I'm hot for whale dick. What a great way to talk to someone you're supposed to love." I couldn't help but laugh at myself for my insane logic and apparently he felt the same way because he joined in with me soon after.

"When did you know that you were in love with me?" I asked him after we'd calmed down.

"I think I've known for a while," he answered thoughtfully. "I'm not sure if I can pin point it but I think I can tell you exactly when I started to fall for you."

"You can? When?"

"When you met my parents. You just seemed so comfortable with them and they were so comfortable with you. I mean, you have no idea how much my mom talks about you." He laughed.

"Your mom is precious, Jackson," I said. "I talked to her the other day."

"Yeah I know. She had to call me to tell me you called. I think you made her week by doing that." He paused and then asked, "When did you know that you were in love with me?"

I thought for a moment. "I'm like you. I can't really think of one particular event that made me realize without a doubt that I was in love with you. It's more like a series of events. Starting with the day I passed out."

"Really? I thought you'd want to forget that day altogether," he said, surprised.

"Well I didn't like being in the hospital or anything but after that we got pretty close and the concern you had for me that day showed me that you really did care about me. That was also the day you admitted you didn't really want to just be friends with me, remember? That was kind of the start of our relationship. It just hadn't been made official yet." I smiled at the memory.

We were both silent for a minute or two as we thought about that day. Finally Jackson spoke up.

"I'm really glad we took a chance with us and I am truly sorry for anything I ever did to hurt you." His voice was quiet and a little sad.

"Hey, mister, that shit is in the past. Everything is all good now so don't worry about any of it, ok?" I insisted. He sighed and then chuckled.

"So did you decide if you were going to give me that surprise or not?" Jackson asked, his voice all kinds of hopeful. It was actually very adorable.

"Nope."

"Nope, you haven't decided or nope, you're not giving it to me?"

I giggled. "Nope, I haven't decided yet."

"Well what can I do to help this along?" he asked seductively.

"I don't know cowboy, why don't you try telling me you love me again?" I said, already slipping out of my shorts.

"I love you, baby. I wish I was there right now so I could show you just how much I love you."

"Yeah? And what would you do to show me how much you love me?" I tried to imitate his sexy voice, but I failed miserably as far as I was concerned. He, on the other hand, happened to like it. A lot.

"Oh fuck baby. You're getting me hard," Jackson practically moaned.

"Is that so? Are you alone cowboy?" I was surprised to find that I was really getting in to it.

"Shit. Are we really gonna do this?"

We'd only ever talked about having phone sex but I couldn't seem to get past my embarrassment long enough to really commit to it. Except this time was different. For starters, we hadn't been together in almost three months and my body was practically screaming to be touched and then there was the fact that he'd said those three magical words for the first time just minutes ago.

"Do you want to?" I asked even though I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.

"Fuck yeah, I do," he answered without hesitation.

I couldn't help but giggle at his eagerness so I walked over to my door and turned the lock so no one would barge in and find me doing what I was about to do.

"Ok, but you're going to have to help me through this seeing as how I've never done anything like this before, ok?"

"No problem, baby girl," he said and I heard a series of creaks and assumed it meant he was making himself comfortable on the bed so I did the same. "What are you wearing right now?"

I stifled a giggle and looked down at myself. I was still wearing my white tank top and black silk panties but I had removed my shorts earlier in preparation for my nude picture I was going to send him. "Um, a tank top and panties?"

"Is that a question or is that really what you're wearing?" Jackson laughed.

"I'm sorry. I know I'm really bad at this." I felt incredibly un-sexy. "Maybe we should just –"

"No," he interrupted. "You're not bad at it. I just have to get you in the right frame of mind." He paused while he thought and then said, "Ok, I want you to try something."

"Ok," I said eagerly.

"Close your eyes and imagine I'm lying right next to you."

"What?"

"Just do it. Please?"

"Ok, ok." I closed my eyes and imagined…I imagined he was lying next to me. I imagined his dimples flashing as he smiled at me and I imagined his hair falling in to his beautiful green eyes. I then imagined he was shirtless and that while I was running one hand over his "Mom" tattoo, he was playing with the fingers on my other hand like he'd done so many times. It was so real, I could almost _feel_ his hand on mine. "Mmmm," I hummed in satisfaction at my perfectly imagined Jackson.

"Do you see me?" he asked.

"Mum."

"Good. Now take off your tank top," he instructed.

I sat up, placed my phone on the side table and pulled my tank top over my head and tossed it to the ground. I then picked my phone back up.

"My tank top is off."

"Ok. Do you have a bra on?"

"No bra," I said.

"Mmmm," he moaned softly. "Now take off your panties."

I nestled my phone in the crook of my neck so I could use both hands to pull my panties down and then I kicked them off the edge of the bed.

"Panties are gone. Now what do you want to do to me?" I was attempting to tap in to my inner phone sex goddess.

"Oh shit baby," he breathed. It took him a moment but he finally started speaking again. "Ok now everything I say I'm doing to you, you have to do to yourself but imagine it's me. Ok?"

"I think I can do that," I cooed. "What's first, baby?" I laid back and got comfortable on my bed.

"I'm moving my hand slowly up your stomach, running just my fingertips across your skin, until I reach your breasts."

I closed my eyes again and performed the movements just as he instructed, leaving a trail of goose bumps in my finger's path. I sighed.

"Do you like that?" he asked his breath coming a little quicker. I was so lost in my fantasy that I could've sworn I could feel his breath on my ear.

"Yes, baby. Please don't stop," I whispered urgently as my fingers finally made their way on to my breasts.

"I'm rubbing your nipples baby," he growled.

A soft moan escaped my lips as I took my nipple between my fingers and rolled it back and forth.

"Are you taking care of yourself too?" I asked suddenly, breaking the spell but only slightly.

"Don't worry about me, love," he said and moaned softly. "I'm enjoying myself, trust me."

I smiled and then got myself back in to character, so to speak. I moaned again and I heard his breath coming even quicker. The sound was turning me on and making me wish I could see what he was doing to himself.

"Ok now I'm moving my hand back down baby," he whispered.

My own breathing sped as I moved my hand back down to my stomach and lower…

"Oh God, Jackson. I need to feel you inside me," I begged.

"Fuck," he said. "Yeah, Rhiannon. Put me inside you."

I jumped slightly as my finger reached and caressed my folds. I slipped my middle finger inside and rubbed my swollen clit. My moaning was getting louder and I knew I needed to calm it down before someone realized what was going on in here, but I couldn't find it in me to care. This whole phone sex thing was pretty powerful and I would be lying if I said I wasn't completely in to it.

"How does that feel?" Jackson asked.

"Oh…Oh my God…You feel so…fuck," I said and then slid my finger inside myself causing me to moan very loudly again.

"I wanna make you cum." He sounded as though he was having trouble speaking clearly and it made me wonder just how close he was to his own release.

I continued to finger-fuck myself until I felt that familiar feeling signaling that I was seconds away from my orgasm.

"Oh shit! Baby, I'm gonna cum," I told him.

"Fuck yeah, baby girl. Cum for me."

He didn't have to tell me twice because right after he said it, I came hard. I called out his name and as soon as I did I heard him grunt and moan and cuss. After that, the only thing either of us could hear was each other's breathing.

I giggled before I could stop myself.

"What is it?" he asked, still slightly out of breath.

"I don't know," I confessed and then laughed again. "But I think my entire house just heard me."

He laughed with me and then said, "Yeah it's a good thing I'm alone because I wasn't too quiet myself."

I abruptly felt horrible for saying anything to remind him of his situation. It wasn't fair that he had to spend Thanksgiving without his family.

"I'm so sorry Jackson."

"For what baby?"

"I just wish you could've seen your family. I wish I could've seen you earlier this month instead of being sick. I just wish things would've been different," I said.

"I'm ok, Rhiannon. And it's not your fault you were sick," he soothed me. "Besides, you're still coming to Vegas for my birthday thing, right?"

"I wouldn't miss it for _anything_," I assured him.

"Good. Then I'll be seeing you soon, honey." He sighed. "But until then, we'll talk and text and…well…"

I laughed because I knew exactly what he was hinting at. "We can do that any time you want."

"I love you, you know that?" he said sweetly.

"I love you too."

We hung up and I settled in to sleep. It was only a little after 9 but it had been a long day and I was ready for some rest. I thought briefly about the birthday present I would be getting him in a few weeks and smiled. He was going to love it! I couldn't wait to give it to him. I fell asleep soon after that and woke up the next morning to another fantastic breakfast cooked with love by my mother. After eating and helping her clean up, we chatted for a few minutes before I went home. Thank God nothing was said about hearing anything the night before because I really wasn't sure how I would explain that to my mother.

When I got home there was a UPS truck pulling up behind my car as I was pulling in. I turned off my car and got out just as the UPS man was stepping off his truck.

"Are you Rhiannon Grey, by any chance?" he asked.

"As a matter of fact, I am," I said and smiled.

"Must be my lucky day." He returned my smile and held out a medium sized box. "This is for you."

"Oh. Thanks." I took the box in my hands and then set it down on the ground so I could sign for the package and then I picked it back up and walked back to my door.

Once I got inside I finally looked at the label on the box and saw the return address was Jackson's.

_The care package!_

I giggled and jumped around for a second and then got my box cutter from the kitchen and opened the package.

Believe me when I tell you this was the most amazing gift I'd ever gotten from a guy. His care package covered just about everything I could ever need to make my time without him more bearable.

The first thing I saw was a T shirt. When I picked it up and rolled it out, it was a black shirt with red lettering that said, "Property of: Jackson". It was a private joke between us and he'd been saying he was going to get me a T shirt with that on it. I laughed aloud and immediately put it on. The next thing was a series of bracelets tied together. There was a 100 Monkeys bracelet, 2 bracelets made of what looked like hemp, and then one beaded bracelet that had lettered beads which spelled out "B.G. & R. G." So obviously that one was from Graupner. I smiled really wide and put those on as well.

I was surprised but instantly thrilled with the stuffed monkey that was in the box. I hadn't really been much for stuffed animals but this one was special. It was a dark brown monkey with a white T shirt that said "Rhiannon". It was absolutely adorable.

The last two things in the box were a journal that also had my name on it and under that was a framed picture of me and Jackson. It was taken the night of the Boudreaux's gig for Abolish Luck the last weekend in August. We were kissing and he had his fingers underneath my chin, holding my face up to his. I didn't even remember anyone taking a picture but I was really glad they had. I was even happier Jackson had gotten his hands on it and made a copy for me. I stood up and carried the plush monkey and the framed picture to my bedroom where I placed the picture on the night stand and the monkey on my pillow.

When I got back to the living room, I opened the journal and there was a short note from Jackson written on the inside:

_Hey baby,_

_I know how much you used to love writing so I hoped this would get you back in to it. Write whatever you want just as long as you promise to let me read it._

_I'm kidding baby. (See how well I know you?)_

_I miss you so much and can't wait to see you. In the meantime, I hope everything I've sent will help remind you of me. You mean so much to me baby girl._

_J._

I smiled and placed the journal down on my coffee table and then picked up my phone and took a picture of myself wearing my shirt and bracelets and sent it to Jackson.

At first I didn't receive a response so I decided to do some cleaning. Since I'd been so sick, I had fallen way behind in my house work. I loaded the dishwasher, put on a load of laundry, and vacuumed. As soon as I was done with all of that, I started on my bathroom. I had my gloves on and was almost elbow deep in my toilet when my phone beeped, announcing a text. I cursed aloud for my shitty luck and then jumped up and pulled the gloves off. I washed my hands quickly and then went to see who had texted me.

_You got it! – J Action_

_Yes I did. Thank you so much! I love everything! – Rhiannon_

_You're welcome baby. I miss you. – J Action_

_I miss you too. I'll call you later. – Rhiannon_

_Ok. I love you. – J Action_

_I love you. – Rhiannon_

I spent a few more hours cleaning and then made a light dinner. After I ate I called Jackson but he couldn't talk for long so after we hung up, I called Stacy to tell her the news about Evan and Mia. She already knew because of Eddie and I still wasn't used to that so she jumped right in with her idea to throw them an engagement party the week before Christmas. I actually really liked the idea so we stayed on the phone for a little over an hour making plans for the party and then she had to go because she and Eddie were going out to dinner. I hadn't seen Stacy much since she came clean about her relationship with Eddie but she was really happy with him so it didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. We still had our Monday night get-togethers, but that was about the only time I saw her without Eddie.

It was Friday night at 9 pm and I had absolutely nothing to do. I watched some mindless TV for a few hours and then called it a night. I lay in bed, my mind racing. Everything was changing. The band was getting bigger, Evan and Mia were getting married, Stacy and Eddie were dating so I barely got to see Stacy anymore, and then there was me and Jackson. We'd been dating for almost four months, we were saying the L word, and I still couldn't wrap my head around the fact that he wanted me. I didn't think I would ever get past that but I had him. He wanted to be with me and even though I couldn't fathom why, I was just happy I had finally gotten a bit of good luck.

**Ok so I usually don't put anything at the end of the chapters but…here's the thing…that last line is a bit of foreshadowing. Anyone care to guess in what way? It has been in just about EVERY chapter including this one.**

**I look forward to your reviews/guesses. Also if any of you have twitter, come look me up! My page is private so you'll have to request me but as long as you're not insane (looks out at everyone questioningly) I'll accept you. My twitter name is Lia_Jane711. I hope to see some of you there!**

**Thanks again for reading! Remember…I promise to have next chapter posted on time or I'll post a vid of me dancing ridiculously for everyone to see. You all want me to be late don't you…**


	11. I Was Made For Loving You

**So it's here and it's on time…Thank you Jesus! There will be no crazy dancing videos posted, this time at least. I really hope you guys like this chapter and please drop me a line to let me know what you think. Thanks so much for reading!**

**As always, thank you Starchick7003, Mindy, and Tima83 for their help, ideas, and support. A special thank you goes to a certain lady who will remain nameless for helping me pimp out my story a bit. Because of her help, I've gained a few new readers so thank you's all around to: Lil' Mrs. Whitlock, CharlieDenae, Beatty St., and VicesVsVirtues. Welcome to my obsession!**

**Chapter 11: I Was Made For Loving You**

The weeks that followed Thanksgiving were busy, stressful, and a great deal of it was spent not getting to talk to Jackson. I was working, Christmas shopping, planning the engagement party, going shopping with Mia for the wedding, and helping my mother decorate for the holidays. She practically insisted that we come and help her put up the tree like we used to when we were little. I guess she was taking Evan's impending nuptials a little harder than she wanted to let on.

The engagement party was going to be held the Thursday before Christmas. I had a flight scheduled to Vegas the very next morning so I'd be insanely tired but there was no doubt it was going to be well worth it.

We were having the party at Stacy's house. We'd sat down and planned the decorations for every inch of the downstairs and were even planning to decorate a little outside even though we were sure people wouldn't be spending a great deal of time out there due to the cold weather. Stacy hired a caterer, bartender, and a DJ. Even the invitations were fancy and stated that guests were to wear "formal attire". Mia had been involved in the planning to a certain extent but she was also dealing with the wedding plans. The date had been set for January 23rd which was just a little over a month away so she was pretty stressed. Mom and I tried to help her as much as possible but she was still going to be cutting it close.

Jackson and I spoke as often as we could but it still wasn't often enough. We were always saying how much we missed each other and I was really starting to fear he might find someone else who could be with him more. I'd be lying if I said I hadn't entertained the thought that he may get tired of the phone sex and go out looking for the real thing. I trusted him though. So no matter how many times the thought popped up in my head, I'd banish it almost as quickly. I knew he loved me and that he wouldn't hurt me like that. But every now and again, that horrible thought would rear its ugly head…

"Fuck Rhiannon! You're still not done with the lights?" Stacy interrupted my thoughts. "The party starts in an hour. You're not done out here and you're not fucking dressed. What am I going to do with you?" She stood there with her hands on her hips and a look of pure annoyance on her face.

"You look beautiful," I said sheepishly, hoping the flattery would get me off the hook. She rolled her eyes. "I'm serious," I insisted and I wasn't lying. She really did look amazing. She stood there in a red and black dress that came down to just above her knees and red pumps. Her blonde hair was swept up in one of the most complicated up dos I had ever seen. I couldn't believe she'd done it herself. Her make-up was simple except for her lips. She wore the most beautiful shade of ruby red lipstick on her lips. The color made her blue eyes stand out even more and highlighted the natural rosy tone in her complexion.

She smiled but only for a second. "Seriously, Rhi. Hurry up please. I still need to do your hair."

"Ok, ok. Give me 5 minutes, 10 minutes tops and I'll be done."

She sighed but nodded and headed back inside.

"Jesus Ricardo! I told you that shit goes in the front room!" I heard Stacy yelling once she was inside. I couldn't help but giggle and then tried to return my attention to the lights. Tried being the operative word there. I was too lost in my mind's battle to really care how the strings of lights made the trees look magical, or something close to the bull shit Stacy fed me to convince me to take this pointless job. I had gotten to the last string when I heard someone walking up behind me.

"Dammit Stacy I know for a fact it hasn't been 10 minutes yet," I said and started to turn around. "You really need to just chi –". I lost all train of thought and even forgot how to speak when I realized the person who had been walking up wasn't Stacy. As a matter of fact, it wasn't anyone I was expecting to see at all, or at least not until tomorrow afternoon.

"Hey baby," Jackson said, smirking that panty-soaking smirk.

I blinked. Then blinked again.

_If this is God's way of torturing me, he's doing a pretty fucking amazing job…_

But it wasn't a hallucination. It wasn't a day dream. It was real. _He_ was real and he was standing right across the yard from me. I tried to speak but the words wouldn't come out. Not only was he actually there but he looked incredibly hot! He stood there in a white button up shirt, black blazer, black jeans, and black cowboy boots. He looked good enough to eat and I was starving.

Without another word, I dropped the lights and full on ran at Jackson. I jumped up in to his arms and immediately wrapped my legs around his waist and crushed my lips to his. Our tongues met and I sighed. I felt like I was whole again. I hadn't really grasped just how much I had missed him…until now. Until he was with me again and our bodies were close again. It was insane but I really felt like he was the other half of me. I had spent three and a half months without the other half of myself.

"Jackson! You're here!" Stacy sang from the patio doors. "Now could you stop sucking Rhiannon's face off so I can get her presentable for the party?"

He pulled away but only to say, "Just a minute," and then went back to kissing me. I heard Stacy giggle and couldn't help joining in. Jackson gave me a look of confusion.

"I'm sorry," I said between fits of giggles. "I don't know if I'm insane or really happy to see you. Could be a combination of both." I laughed again and this time he laughed with me.

After he had reluctantly placed me back on the ground, he kissed my forehead, took hold of my hand and led me inside. Stacy attempted to break us apart to take me upstairs to get ready but Jackson insisted on coming with us. Stacy tried to explain that it would be better if he would wait so he could see the finished product but he was having none of that.

"Stacy, I haven't seen her in a really long time. I'm going where she goes. End of discussion." He made his point further by wrapping his arm firmly around my waist.

Stacy let out an exasperated sigh but agreed. On our way up the stairs, I glanced in to the kitchen and saw that Graupner and Jerad were here as well. I smiled really wide while I waved frantically at them. I was thrilled to see them and I knew it would mean a lot to Evan.

I looked at Jackson and smiled. I couldn't seem to stop smiling but then again, neither could he.

When we reached Stacy's room, Jackson stayed right by my side, holding my hand and playing with my fingers while Stacy did my hair and make-up. Stacy was going for a more dramatic look with my hair, curling it in ringlets that fell loose in the back but pulled up in the front with some pretty gold hair pins. Since the dress I was wearing was green, Stacy did my make-up accordingly, using two different shades of green on my eyes and dusting a hint of gold in the creases. She applied black eyeliner and mascara, some rosy blush, and a light pink lip gloss. I knew Jackson didn't really care how much make-up I wore on a regular basis, but he was definitely happy with what Stacy was doing. He just kept saying how beautiful I looked and how he'd never noticed how green my eyes could be.

After we were all finished with the hair and make-up, Stacy and I headed to the bathroom so I could change and she could help me. I think she really just wanted to make sure I wouldn't fuck up her handy work, but I was grateful for the help.

The dress I was wearing was all thanks to Stacy going shopping for me without my knowledge and without my presence. She'd just showed up at my house four days ago with the dress and shoes and told me not to complain or object. I surprised her by letting her know that I hadn't planned on objecting or complaining and thanked her instead. I'd planned on wearing something I already had and was actually thrilled to have something new; not to mention that the dress was gorgeous. It was a bright green, beaded, organza, halter top dress. As much as I hated my arms, Jackson seemed to love them so over time, I'd gotten over my pure hatred of them. I still didn't like them, but the feeling wasn't as intense.

"Did you know he was coming?" I asked Stacy as she zipped up the dress.

She hid behind me and said, "Are you going to hit me or kiss me? Because I gotta be honest, I don't care for either outcome."

I laughed and answered, "Neither. I was just curious because you didn't act surprised when he showed up on your lawn."

"That's because I wasn't," she looked at me and smiled. "You look amazing. He's not going to be able to keep his hands off of you."

"Nice try," I scoffed. "How did you know he was coming? And more importantly, why the hell didn't you tell me?"

"Eddie told me he was coming. Apparently he and Jerad have gotten to be pretty good friends and so Jerad spilled the beans," she said with a shrug. "Anyway, I was threatened with a loss of the amazing sex I've become so accustomed to if I told you so…"

"So you chose Eddie and his dick over me," I laughed.

"Yes. Yes, I did." She laughed with me and then said, "You ready?" and gestured to the door.

"As I'm gonna be."

She smiled reassuringly and opened the door. As soon as I stepped out, Jackson's head snapped up and a smile that could melt all of Antarctica lit up his face.

"Baby, you look…" he trailed off as his eyes scanned every inch of my body. When his eyes finally came back up to meet mine he said, "You look beautiful."

I smiled shyly and thanked him. Then he stood and placing his hand on the small of my back, led me through the bedroom door and down the stairs.

By the time we'd reached the bottom of the stairs, Stacy's living room was full of people. Mia and Evan were standing next to the bar area talking to a few friends. They had their arms around each other looking blissfully in love. Mom was fiddling with the stuff on the buffet table and chatting with Linda who was standing awkwardly off to the side. Tom and Mia's dad, Phil, were drinking a beer in the kitchen while Chris and Jerry were entertaining them with no doubt one of their crazy stories. I leaned in to Jackson and breathed him in. His smell was so intoxicating, I would've loved nothing more than to just remain in that position for the rest of my life.

"Rhiannon!" Graupner yelled from across the room.

_Leave it to Graupner. _I smiled to myself as I watched him and Jerad maneuver their way through the crowd mumbling "Excuse me" and "Sorry".

Once they'd finally reached us, Graupner slapped Jackson's hand away from mine and then gathered me up in a tight hug. He released me and looked me up and down. "Damn girl."

"Dude, I swear to God…" Jackson warned.

Graupner playfully shoved Jackson and they laughed. Then he kissed me quickly on the cheek before moving out of the way so Jerad could hug me.

"Rhiannon, you look great," Jerad said and smiled. "It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you guys too. I've missed you," I said.

"Especially me, right?" Graupner said, his smile lighting up his entire face. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Yes, sweet heart. Especially you."

Stacy had apparently excused herself as soon as we'd reached the bottom of the stairs so Jackson, Graupner, Jerad, and I headed over to Evan and Mia to say our hellos.

"Rhiannon, oh my God," Mia said as she appraised my appearance. "You're gorgeous."

I blushed and waved my hand in an attempt to dismiss the compliment. Anyway, Mia was the one who looked gorgeous. She was wearing a simple black dress but it hugged her figure and her hair and make-up was amazing. It wouldn't have mattered if she'd been wearing a t shirt and jeans, she still would've looked beautiful because she was positively glowing. Being ridiculously in love will do that to people, I should know. I stole a glance at the cowboy at my side before returning my attention to my brother.

Evan leaned in and kissed me on the cheek, basically repeating what Mia had said about my appearance, before shaking hands with the boys.

"Congratulations man," Graupner said as they shook hands. He leaned in a little closer to Evan and said, "You sure you know what you're getting in to? Cause anytime you decide to come to your senses, I'm just a phone call away." He and Evan laughed and then Jerad broke in to say his congratulations while Graupner kissed Mia on the cheek.

"Watch yourself, G," Mia said, mock seriousness in her voice and on her face.

Graupner placed one hand over his heart and his other hand up, the stance for the oath in a courtroom. I guess that was his way of reassuring her that he would be on his best behavior.

After all of the pleasantries were out of the way, we made our way to the bar and grabbed a round of shots and beers. We toasted to the happy couple and then downed our shots, chasing the bitter taste of the whiskey with our beers.

"I need a cigarette," Jackson said suddenly, grabbing hold of my hand.

I looked at him questioningly but as soon as I saw the look in his eyes, I knew exactly what he was thinking. The tingling between my legs only added to the intensity.

"Me too," I said, my eyes never leaving his.

Graupner laughed loudly and Jerad punched him in the arm.

"Right. A cigarette." Jerad patted Jackson on the back. "If your phone goes off, that probably means your cigarette is about to be interrupted, if you know what I mean."

Jackson simply nodded and led me out the patio doors and in to the back yard. We kept walking past the pool and the pool house. I was starting to worry that we were going to climb over the fence or something until he walked us around the back of the pool house and pinned me against the siding. Without a word, he grabbed my face and pulled it to his, pressing his lips to mine. The kiss began gentle and loving but it took no time for it to get a little more urgent causing a flood gate to open between my legs. I started to wrap my arms around his neck but he grabbed my wrists and pinned them above my head. I opened my eyes and found him looking at me, an animalistic edge in his features. Keeping my wrists in place with one hand, he moved the other painfully slow down my body to my leg where he grabbed a hold of the bottom of my dress, raking his fingers along my thigh, and lifted it up. I hitched my leg on to his hip and pulled him forward as I pushed my hips in to him. A growl ripped from his chest as he let go of my wrists and went back to kissing me, sliding his fingers underneath the elastic band on my panties. Judging by his actions this evening, I expected him to just rip them off, but instead he rubbed the skin underneath the band first, teasing me. He pulled away from me just slightly as he slid his hand in to my panties and rubbed my folds.

My breath caught and my eyes rolled in to my head followed by the quietest moan I could manage under the circumstances.

"You're so fucking wet," he said.

When I opened my eyes again, he was sticking the finger that had rubbed me in to his mouth, sucking my juices from it. I whimpered at the sight and pressed myself harder up against him. He slipped his hand back in to my panties and rubbed me again while he leaned in and teased my lips with his tongue. My body was on fire and every touch felt like it was amplified by a thousand.

"God dammit Jackson," I breathed.

He looked at me and smirked. "What's the matter sugar?" He chuckled softly at the look on my face and then leaned in to kiss me. I guess he'd had enough of the teasing as well because this was no gentle, loving kiss. This was a kiss full of want, need, and pure unadulterated lust. He bit my bottom lip, tangling his hands in my hair, and ground his cock in to my swollen clit.

I whore-moaned and grabbed his hair, pulling it gently. The next thing he did took me completely by surprise.

I gasped as he spun me around to face the building.

_What the hell is he doing?_

"Jackson, what –," I started.

"Shhh," he whispered right in my ear. He then licked my earlobe and bit it tenderly sending a shock all the way through me.

I shivered as he lifted my dress up again, this time taking a hold of my panties with both of his hands and pulled them down. After I'd stepped out of them, I looked behind me in time to see him slip the panties in to his pocket. I smiled at the memory of him doing that once before…the night we made love for the first time. That night was so romantic and sweet. Tonight, there was more of a hunger in his eyes and touch.

Wasting no time, he spread my legs apart with his foot, unbuttoned his pants, and pulled his dick out. After positioning himself right where my body was screaming for him to go, he thrust hard and deep inside me, pinning me once again to the building. I turned my face to the side to keep from being suffocated and we both moaned.

As he continued to practically pound me from behind, he moved his hand to the front and rubbed my folds, slipping his middle finger inside to rub my sensitive bundle of nerves. I cried out and put my hand over his, wanting it to stay right there.

"Fuck, I've missed you," Jackson whispered in my ear as he sped up the pace. "I've missed being with you and inside you."

That statement was the single most fuckhot thing he'd ever said to me. It was also what made me tumble off the edge and in to my orgasm. He continued his pace until he finally came.

And cum he did. He moaned louder than I'd ever heard him moan, cussed more than I'd ever heard him cuss, and came harder than I'd ever felt him cum…_Wait!_ Felt him cum…_Shit!_ He'd just rode me bare back and shot his load inside of me!

As soon as he'd pulled out, I turned around to face him while I situated my dress. Before I could say anything, he kissed me again and smiled that melt-your-panties smile of his.

"You do realize you weren't wearing a condom right?" I asked him once I'd recovered.

"I know. I'm sorry," he said and placed my panties in my outstretched hand. "I got caught up in the moment."

"Me too," I admitted and blushed a little. "That was…"

"Fucking incredible." Jackson finished my sentence and we both laughed.

"Yeah," I agreed and put my panties back on quickly. "I need to get back inside though. To clean up, you know?"

"Right," he said and ran his fingers through his hair. "Do you want some company?" He looked at me shyly.

"Again?" I couldn't help but laugh. "We _are_ at a party, Jackson. People will start to notice if we run off every five minutes to go have sex."

"Maybe not," he said and then laughed at how weak his argument really was.

I walked up to him and wrapped my arms around his neck, kissed his lips gently and then said, "We'll leave early. Ok? And then we'll go back to my place and…" I trailed off, giving him a lustful look. He pulled me so close to him that there was literally no space between our bodies and kissed me passionately. He sighed, then grabbed my hand and led me back towards the house. When we reached the main house, Stacy was lighting a cigarette while Jerad and Eddie looked like they were in a deep conversation.

Stacy smiled evilly when she saw us walking up.

"There you two are," she said and nudged Eddie. Eddie and Jerad looked at us and started laughing.

"How are you enjoying the party, Boss lady?" Eddie asked. "What is that? You haven't even joined the party yet? Where on earth have you been?" He feigned disappointment and worry; then howled with laughter when I flipped him off.

"Fuck all of you. I have to go to the bathroom," I said and stalked off to the house, the sounds of their laughter following behind me.

I decided to go to the upstairs bathroom because there had been an increase in the number of people in Stacy's house since Jackson and I went outside so after wading through the sea of people, I climbed the stairs and headed down the hall to the bathroom.

I cleaned myself up and then went back down to join the party. I descended the stairs and looked around for Jackson. When I couldn't find him, I headed back outside. I didn't see him out there either but I desperately wanted a cigarette so I went back inside to get my cigarettes and that's when I saw him. He was standing just inside the kitchen talking to Tom.

_Shit!_

I made a beeline for their location and slammed right in to Evan.

"Dammit, Rhiannon!" Evan said as he wiped the spilled beer off of his jacket. At least I hadn't made him spill a lot of it.

"Evan, I'm so sorry," I said and reached out to help him but he slapped my hand away.

"Where the hell are you going in such a hurry anyway?" he asked while he examined how much beer he had left in the bottle.

"I was just going to see what Jackson was up to." I tried to sound nonchalant about it but my brother knew me better than anyone else on this planet and he saw right through me. He turned to look in the direction that my eyes were glued to and sighed. "You can't freak out every time Tom or I have a talk with him. He won't last five seconds in this family if you do."

"Well seeing as how you fucked everything up the last time you had a chat with him, can you really blame me?"

"Look Rhi, the guy's madly in love with you. Anyone can see that. I don't think there's anything at this point that can keep him away from you," he insisted. "So just chill ok? Before you barrel in to someone else." He gave me one last look of warning and then took off in to the crowd.

I was turning back towards where I'd seen Jackson and Tom, but Jackson was already standing next to me, a big smile on his face.

"I missed you," he whispered in to my ear and then nipped my neck. That small action caused a ripple of goose bumps to break out all over my body.

I swallowed hard and attempted to clear my mind so I could ask him what I needed to ask him.

"What was that all about?" I gestured to the area in the kitchen I'd witnessed him and Tom talking in.

"What was what about?" he asked, a smile tugging at his lips.

"You know what? Never mind," I said. "I need a fucking cigarette."

"Hell yeah." Jackson's eyes lit up.

"Not _that_ kind of cigarette," I laughed. "A real one."

He chuckled and then followed me outside. We talked while we smoked, catching up on how he'd managed to get here for the party. He also told me what the conversation with Tom was about and thankfully, it wasn't a serious chat. They were just discussing what they'd been up to since the last time they'd seen each other.

"So you were just catching up with my step dad?" I asked him skeptically.

"Yeah baby. What did you think was going on?"

"I honestly don't know. I just didn't expect it to be that." I shrugged and then smiled. Our eyes met and I briefly wondered if I could change my mind about what kind of cigarette I'd actually wanted…

"Rhiannon, Linda's looking for you," Eddie interrupted our moment. "Something about the toast or whatever."

"Shit! I forgot I had to do the toast." I looked at Jackson accusingly. "_You_ distracted me." I made a point to jab my finger in to his chest when I said "You".

He shrugged and traced a halo over his head.

"Stupid sexy Texan boy," I muttered under my breath, earning me that signature sexy smirk from said Texan boy.

I made my way through the crowd as everyone was being served their glass of champagne. After getting my own glass of champagne and getting a quick pep talk from Linda, I commanded everyone's attention by clanging my glass with a fork. I'd always thought it was unrealistic when I'd seen people do it in movies. Like I was really gonna get a room full of people's attention by clanging such a small and fragile glass…but I'll have you know, it does work and I didn't break the glass, which was a good start.

I cleared my throat and began the speech I'd rehearsed time and time again for the last week. "Good evening everyone. I'm Rhiannon Grey, Evan's sister and I would like to thank all of you on behalf of the happy couple for sharing this event with them. It means the world to us to have you all here." I purposely looked directly at Jackson, Graupner and Jerad as I said that line. They smiled at me and I turned my attention to Stacy. "I want to thank Stacy for hosting this party at her beautiful home and doing about 95% of the planning."

"Only 95%?" Stacy interrupted and the whole room erupted in to laughter.

"Ok so maybe 98%, but that's all I'm giving." Once again everyone laughed.

"So I was asked to make the toast and since I'm not very good with public speaking, I had help from my wonderful mother not only with the actual words but also with her acting as my personal cheerleader. So thanks Mom." After allowing some time for the crowd to clap, I took a deep breath and turned toward Evan and Mia. "Evan, you are my best friend. You've been a constant source of support, inspiration, and love for me for as long as I can remember. There will never be anything in this world that I will ever be able to do or give you to thank you for that. Just know that the feeling is mutual." The tears began to well up in my eyes.

_I will not cry! I will not cry! I'm gonna cry…_

"While I'm going to hate having to share you with your lovely fiancée here, I'm glad you've found happiness and true love." I wiped the tear that fell from my eyes and then grabbed a hold of Mia's hand. "You're a fantastic woman, Mia. Welcome to the family and take care of my idiot brother, would ya?" Again, the room filled with laughter and then we all raised our glasses. "To Evan and Mia!"

As everyone got back to their own conversations, Evan moved to my side and squeezed my hand. "Thanks, Rhi," he said, his voice thick with emotion. He kissed my cheek and smiled. "Just so you know, you're my best friend too. Always have been and always will be." He smiled again and then turned his attention back to Mia.

The rest of the evening went quickly. Jackson and I mingled, drank, and then mingled some more. I'd gotten so emotional during the speech that I'd spent every second we were there with a drink in my hand so by the time we left, I was trashed.

"When do you leave for Vegas?" I slurred as we pulled up in front of my apartment. I placed my hand on his leg and moved it slowly up to his manhood.

"Shit," he said as my hand finally made it to its intended destination and squeezed him gently. "You wanna do this here? Because if you keep that up, I'm not gonna be able to help myself."

I laughed and then removed my hand, earning me a look of pure disappointment.

"Let's get inside."

We hurried in and barely made it to the bed before the all-out sex fest began. A few hours and lots of condoms later, we were wrapped in each other's arms fighting sleep. Neither of us wanted the night to end even though we would be seeing each other in Vegas just hours later.

"You never answered my question," I told him, my eyes feeling heavier by the second.

"What question was that baby?" He rubbed my back and brushed my forehead with his lips.

"I asked you when you're leaving for Vegas."

"Oh yeah. I seem to remember you distracting me with your hand on my dick," he laughed causing both of us to shake.

"Yeah. Sorry 'bout that." It was getting harder for me to move my lips. I knew any second sleep would take me.

"My flight leaves at 8," he finally answered and that was the last thing I heard before I was completely consumed by darkness.

~o.O.o~

We got up just a few hours later at 5 am and I made eggs and bacon while Jackson showered and got ready to head to the airport. After we ate a quick bite, we drove to the hotel where Jerad and Graupner had stayed and drug them out of the bed so they could make their flight on time. We made it to the airport by 7 and after a long and incredibly passionate kiss from Jackson, I left my boys at the security gate promising them I'd see them in just a few hours.

As much as it sucked to have to make the hour trip home just to turn around and head back for my flight at 11, I needed to tidy up and I'd also planned for Stacy to take me to the airport so I wouldn't have to pay to keep my car parked in their parking garage while I was gone. In addition, I needed to make sure that she hadn't gotten stuck doing all the cleaning after the party.

I got home, packed a few more things, including Jackson's birthday present, and stopped by Stacy's to drop off my car and head to the airport. When I got there, she was taking the last bag of trash to the road.

"Hey bitch," she said cheerfully. "Are you ready to go? Weekend in Vegas, baby!" She shook her butt and laughed hysterically when I tried to hide my face in embarrassment.

"I wish you'd go with me but since you're joined at the hip with Eddie…" I shrugged and got my bags out of my trunk to transfer them to Stacy's car.

"He's too cute to leave," she informed me as she ran back inside to get her keys.

I loaded my luggage in to the car and then slid in to the passenger's seat as Stacy started the car. The ride was spent with Stacy talking excitedly about all the things I just _had_ to see while I was in Vegas. When the list reached the double digits, I knew I had to rein her in.

"Stace, I'm only gonna be there for the weekend. There's no way I'm going to be able to do all of that in the time I have. Not to mention the fact that I'm going for Jackson's birthday so I'll do whatever he wants to do."

She sighed and said, "You really love him, don't you?"

The question took me off guard as I thought that my feelings for Jackson had always been apparent.

"Yes, I do love him. I love him very much."

"How did you know? That you loved him, I mean." She fiddled with the radio and refused to make any kind of eye contact with me.

"Why?" I asked, a smile forming on my lips. "Do you love Eddie? You do, don't you?" I laughed loudly and turned in my seat to face her.

"Don't fucking laugh at me, Rhi. I really think I might love him but I'm so scared to tell him because of all the shit he went through with Melony, you know?" She glanced at me and then continued, "It's just that everything is perfect right now. We're really getting along great, the sex is _amazing_, and he's really very good to me. I don't want to do anything to fuck this up."

"Do you love him, Stacy? No bull shit. No _thinking_ that you love him. Do. You. Love. Him?"

"I do, Rhiannon. I really do," she admitted with conviction.

"Then tell him. I think it's pretty obvious that he loves you too," I assured her with a smile.

"You really think so?" She looked ridiculously hopeful. It reminded me of how I'd felt when Jackson and I were sorting out our feelings for each other.

"Yes, I really think so."

She smiled widely and then turned the music back up.

When we arrived at the airport, I gave her a hug and again urged her to tell Eddie how she felt and that when she did, she had to call me and give me all the details. With that, I wished her luck and headed inside.

The flight was short and I spent most of it bouncing in my seat. I was so excited to be spending the weekend in Vegas with Jackson. Not only was it my first time going to Vegas, but I was getting to experience it with the love of my life.

Once my plane landed and I'd gathered my luggage, I headed to the gate and that's when I saw him. My wonderfully sexy cowboy was standing there with a single red rose in his hand.

_My God, I love that man. _I thought as I looked him over real slow, starting at the top of his hat-clad head to the tips of his cowboy boots.

Once he caught sight of me, his face lit up and his lips were transformed in to that adorable lop-sided smile. I returned his smile and walked straight up to him, dropped my bags on the floor, and kissed him deeply.

"Hi there, baby girl," he drawled and then chuckled. "This is for you." He held out the rose and grinned.

"It's your birthday celebration, Jackson," I protested. "Why on earth are you giving me presents?"

"Because I love you and I'm happy you're spending my birthday with me." He pushed the rose in to my hand. "Please take it baby."

I smiled stupidly and took the rose, bringing it to my nose and breathing in its sweet scent. "Thank you," I whispered and then kissed him again.

Jackson grabbed my bags and we made our way out to the street where we hailed a taxi.

We couldn't keep our hands to ourselves the whole ride earning us a few dirty looks from the cab driver but we didn't care. When we reached the Bellagio, we hurried upstairs to the room where we spent the next hour in bed.

My stomach started to rumble so we took showers and got ready to go eat. We met the guys, Marty, Lani, and Jerad's wife Kristina for a late lunch at Café Bellagio and then went our separate ways to get ready for the long night ahead.

I'd bought a skimpy little dress for the occasion but it unfortunately ended up in a pile on the floor when Jackson saw me in it. I guess it was a good thing it didn't wrinkle easily.

Jackson watched me intently while I got dressed again, his face completely unreadable. After I'd had all I could take of the heavy silence I sauntered over to the bed and sat down beside him.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" I asked and gently tapped his temple. He grabbed a hold of my hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed every finger before resting our hands on his lap.

"I've been thinking," he started, not looking me in the eyes.

"About?" I coaxed him.

"Us." He finally looked up at me but his face was still a mask. I could feel my face fall and my eyes grow wide. I tried to stop myself from freaking out. I tried to stop myself from thinking the worst but unfortunately that was just the way my mind worked.

He then said the words I'd never wanted to hear him say. The words that would shatter my world:

"I can't do this anymore."

**Oh no! It's a bit of a cliffhanger and I hope you'll all forgive me. Please feel free to let me know what you think. **


	12. Moving Up and Moving On

**And now you get to find out what's happening with Jackson and Rhiannon…Excited? Nervous? Hehehe! I won't say anymore, I'll just let you read on and find out. **

**As always, thank you to my fantabulous pre readers: Mindy, Starchick7003, and my new addition, the fantastic Lilaea! They've been amazing! Also my Beta, Tima83…she's AMAZING! **

**I wanted to let all of my readers know that I have submitted an O/S for the Fandom against Famine compilation. It's a Jasper-centric story. Very dark, very edgy, totally GREAT! If you're interested, I will have further information in this Chapter's end notes.**

**Thank you for reading! You rock my world!**

***Previously…**

Jackson watched me intently while I got dressed again, his face completely unreadable. After I'd had all I could take of the heavy silence I sauntered over to the bed and sat down beside him.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" I asked and gently tapped his temple. He grabbed a hold of my hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed every finger before resting our hands on his lap.

"I've been thinking," he started, not looking me in the eyes.

"About?" I coaxed him.

"Us." He finally looked up at me but his face was still a mask. I could feel my face fall and my eyes grow wide. I tried to stop myself from freaking out. I tried to stop myself from thinking the worst but unfortunately that was just the way my mind worked.

He then said the words I'd never wanted to hear him say. The words that would shatter my world:

"I can't do this anymore."

**~o.O.o~**

**Chapter 12: Moving Up and Moving On**

I jumped up from the bed. Every muscle in my body was screaming at me to run, to just get the hell out. I wrapped my arms around myself and attempted to control my breathing.

_This cannot be happening!_ My mind was screaming that same statement over and over again.

"Whoa, whoa baby." Jackson grabbed a hold of my shoulders. "Calm down. I –"

"Calm down?" I practically shrieked at him. "You want me to calm down after you just said what you did?"

"Rhiannon, listen to me. I didn't mean it like that," his voice was pleading.

"Well then how the fuck did you mean it?"

He opened his mouth to say something but apparently thought better of it and instead turned around and walked over to the other side of the bed where he pulled a small box out of the drawer in the table. I watched him in absolute confusion as he walked back up to me and held out the box.

"What the hell is this?" I asked but didn't reach out to take it.

Jackson sighed and then grabbed my hand and placed the box in it. "Open it," he instructed.

"Why?"

"Baby girl, please. Just open it." He gestured to the box.

_This is fucking ridiculous. _I thought as I pulled the top off the box. What was inside both confused me and intrigued me.

It was a silver key about the size of a house key.

_A house key?_

My eyes grew about three times their original size and I looked up at Jackson who was of course grinning from ear to ear.

"What? I mean, what is…why…" I stumbled and stammered and couldn't seem to form a complete sentence. I just kept looking between the small key in my hand and Jackson.

"I meant that I can't go this long without seeing you again. I meant that I can't be without you anymore and I think I've come up with a pretty good solution to that problem." He cradled my face in his hands and lifted it up until I was looking him right in the eyes. "I want you to move in with me. That key is a key to my house – our house – that is if you _want_ to move in with me."

I was literally speechless. My heart was yelling, "Hell yes I want to move in with you!" while my head was asking all sorts of questions and trying to remind me of all the responsibilities I had in Louisiana. My vagina was just screaming, "Fuck yeah! Sex _all_ the time!"

Jackson was still waiting for an answer so I tried to calm myself enough to be able to intelligently talk about the offer he'd just extended.

"Jackson, I-I don't…I don't know," I stuttered. "It's not that I don't want to because trust me, I do. But there are things we have to consider." I began to pace back and forth in front of the bed. "One, are we even ready for this in terms of our relationship? Two, what about my job, my apartment, the band? And of course my mother will have a shit fit and then there's Stacy. Jackson, she's like a sister to me and I don't know if I can be that far from her but then I look at you. And I love you. I love you so much and I want this. I want to be with you more. It would literally be a dream come true, I just…I just don't know." I threw my hands up in exasperation and flopped down on the bed.

Jackson lightly chuckled and then came to lie down next to me on the bed. He rolled over on his side and propped up on his elbow.

"You don't have to give me an answer right now, baby," he soothed me. "But here's my opinion: Yes, I do believe we're ready for this and as for everything else, I think we can figure it all out but this is your decision and I want you to be the one to make it. If you decide that you don't want to, we'll work out a way for us to see each other more, ok? Just take your time and think it through."

I nodded and rolled over to kiss him. "I'm really sorry I freaked out on you. I just thought…"

"I know. I shouldn't have worded it like that. I was just so nervous about asking you, it came out all wrong. I'm the one who should be apologizing."

"I fucking love you so much, you know that?" I told him.

He smiled and said, "I fucking love you too."

"Ok," I said and sat up. "Enough of that. Are you ready for your birthday present?"

His whole face transformed. It reminded me of a child on Christmas morning. I laughed and then went to the closet where I'd stashed the bag that held his present. All of a sudden, I got nervous. I was afraid he was going to hate it. I was afraid he'd think it was weird of me to give him a gift like this but I'd already had it made and he already knew I was in here getting it for him so I had no choice. I _had_ to give it to him and just hope for the best.

"Babe, do I need to send a search party?" Jackson called.

"No, I'm coming." I grabbed the package and carried it in and sat it down in front of him.

He looked at the package and then at me, that childish grin planted on his face again.

"What is it?" he asked me excitedly.

"Open it and find out cowboy," I answered.

He took one last look at me and then ripped the paper off. At first he just looked at it. His face was betraying nothing. I was literally holding my breath as I waited for him to say something, anything.

"Baby…" He couldn't seem to find the words and I wondered if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

I finally found my voice. "Baby what?" I asked.

"This is…this is…amazing."

I sighed in relief. "You really like it?"

"No, I love it!" He looked down at the framed Spencer Bell vinyl record and matte picture of his friend, whose life was tragically cut short due to Adrenal Cancer. "How did you even do this?"

"I know a guy who knows a guy," I joked. "Seriously, my mom is bad ass. I told her my idea and what I wanted and she got it done."

"But baby this must have cost you…" I pressed my finger to his lips.

"Don't worry about any of that, Jackson. I wanted it to be special. It had to be something meaningful and not just about us. Besides, this is your birthday _and _Christmas present so I actually came out pretty good." I laughed.

He stood up so quickly, it made me jump and within seconds his mouth was on mine and he was removing my dress for the second time.

"Dammit Jackson, I really like this dress," I protested.

"I really like it too but I think I like it better on the floor."

I laughed but it was brief because I was successfully silenced by his lips on mine. He took my bottom lip between his, rubbing back and forth slightly with his lips. His tongue slipped inside my mouth and began to massage my tongue. It was so insanely hot that I couldn't take the teasing anymore so I grabbed a fist full of hair and deepened the kiss as much as was humanly possible. It didn't take long for him to follow my lead and took me even less time to start ripping his clothes off.

Moments later we were both completely naked and standing up right at the edge of the bed.

"I love you. I love you so much," Jackson whispered between kisses.

"I love you, baby," I whispered back. He knelt down and planted soft kisses all over my stomach and then ran his tongue all the way up to my left breast, taking my nipple in to his mouth and sucking it. His hand was planted firmly on my ass and he squeezed gently.

After he'd taken very good care of my left breast, he moved over to the right one, mimicking his actions from the other one.

"Oh my…Shit!" I hissed as he gingerly bit my nipple. He started to move me to the bed but I stopped him.

"Nuh-uh," I said. He cocked his eyebrow. "You. On the bed. I'm taking care of you, birthday boy." I gently moved him so that his back was to the bed instead of mine and pushed him down to a sitting position on the edge of the bed. I then slinked down to my knees and positioned myself between his legs, just inches from his raging erection.

"Happy birthday to me," he said and laughed but it was short lived. He almost choked when my mouth circled his tip. "Oh fuck…"

I hummed and he almost thrust himself down my throat. I placed one hand on the base of his cock and the other on his leg and slowly took him in until he was almost completely filling my mouth. I produced what I thought would be just the right amount of suction on the way back up. My suspicions were confirmed when he flung his head back and moaned my name.

"Jesus, Rhiannon. Fuck!" My head began to bob up and down to a pretty steady rhythm and I took of my hand off his leg and cupped his balls. His hands were fisted in my hair and he was using what I assumed to be all of his self-control to keep from pushing my head further down.

"Dammit, baby. That feels…oh shit…that feels amazing," he breathed.

I hummed again and this time his hips bucked causing me to deep throat the hell out of him. Moments later, I could feel his dick spasming followed by the warm salty taste of his cum filling my mouth.

He laid back on the bed and worked to calm his breathing. He surprised me by saying, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" I asked him not bothering to hide my confusion.

"Well you got me off. What did I do for you?"

"Jackson, you make me cum just by looking at me. This is _your_ birthday. We'll have plenty of time for me later."

He sat up and looked at me, his face blank at first, then lighting up with that gorgeous smile.

"I make you cum just by looking at you?" he asked, a twinkle in those intense green eyes of his.

"Shut up," I teased him. "You know the affect you have on me."

"No I don't," he insisted. "What kind of affect do I have on you?"

"No way, stupid Texan boy," I laughed. "I'm not telling you shit."

"So don't tell me shit. Tell me how I make you cum by looking at you." All traces of playfulness were gone from his eyes. All that shown there now was desire.

"At this rate we're never going to make it to your party, you know," I said as he walked towards me.

"You're just so sexy, Rhiannon. I can't help it." His eyes moved slowly down my body and then back up. "And we _are_ already naked." I squealed as he gathered me up in his arms and carried me to the bed where I showed him exactly what affect he had on me.

~o.O.o~

Once we were dressed (_again_), we headed down to The Bank, a club inside The Bellagio for Jackson's birthday party. As soon as we walked in we were met with cat calls and wolf howls. I'm guessing since we were almost an hour late, the few that knew about me and Jackson knew what we'd been up to. There were several girls eyeing me, giving the "What's _he _doing with _her_?" look.

"Jackson, do people know you have a girlfriend?" I whispered, burying my face in his shoulder.

"I haven't formally announced it. Why?" he whispered back as Jerad and Uncle made their way towards us.

"Don't you think you should have done that before you appeared in public with me?" I hissed.

"It's not a big deal baby."

"What's not a big deal?" Jerad asked once he and Uncle had finally reached us.

"Nothing," Jackson answered quickly. He smiled and hugged Uncle Larry who wished him a happy early birthday and then announced, "Where's the fucking alcohol?" Everyone cheered and we were led to a table in the corner where we were brought bottles of alcohol to drink.

For the first hour, our table was crowded beyond belief as people came to see the birthday boy. And as expected, every time it was a female, she would give me a "Go to hell" look and then eye-fuck my boyfriend. I would've beat the hell out of some bitches had it not been for the fabulous Jameson I kept taking shots of. As the crowd started to die down, Jackson's cake was brought out. I couldn't help but laugh as I saw it. It was a dude in a banana suit, complete with a blue and green tie, sunglasses, and "Happy Birthday Jackson" on it.

After the excitement of the cake, the crowd thinned out a bit more and people gathered in to their own circles to drink and chat, Jackson leaned over and went to kiss me but I stopped him.

"What?" he asked.

"I'm not gonna be some stupid tabloid rumor, buddy boy," I said, just slightly slurring my words.

"Buddy boy?" He laughed. "How much Jameson have you had?" He picked up the bottle and examined its contents.

I shrugged and went to pour another shot when Ben J popped up out of nowhere.

"Hey Rhiannon," he said, smiling that rare but gorgeous smile.

"Ben Motha-fuckin Johnson!" I squealed and stood up to hug him.

"She's had a good bit of Jameson," Jackson said.

"I haven't had _that_ much," I insisted while I sat back down, smoothing my dress.

Ben J just laughed and sat down next to me, taking two shot glasses and filling them to almost over-flowing. He then handed one to Jackson and kept one for himself.

"To Jay. Happy 25th, man," Ben J said and we all knocked our shots back.

"I need a smoke," I announced. "Anyone wanna join me?"

"I'll join you, hot stuff." Graupner was standing in front of the table wearing that ridiculously goofy grin that I loved so much. "Where do you keep getting these dresses? Damn!" He whistled.

I did a dramatic pose sequence and then laughed rather loudly.

"I'm coming too," Jackson said.

"No sir." I shook my head. "You don't need to be seen with me any more than you already have been. You're gonna have so much shit to answer for anyway. Can you imagine what your next interview will be like?"

"Rhiannon, I don't give a fuck how much shit I'm going to have to answer for. I want to smoke a cigarette with my girlfriend."

"We really should have had this conversation _before _all of this, don't you think?" I challenged him.

"I'm going with you, baby. End of discussion." He rose to his feet but I placed my hand on his chest.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Jackson but really, you need to stay right here and enjoy your party," I said and then smiled at him reassuringly. "I'll be right back, ok?"

He sighed but nodded. "G, don't let anyone hit on her." He looked Graupner right in the eyes. "That goes for you too."

Graupner laughed and crossed his heart with his finger and then led me away from the table.

Once we made it out of earshot, Graupner asked me what was going on.

"Nothing," I answered and shrugged. "I just don't want him to have to answer for me. He's got too much going on to have to worry about that too." I took a long drag of my cigarette and blew the smoke out.

"Rhiannon, I don't think he has any intention of letting you go anytime soon," he said displaying a little wisdom. It made me want to laugh. "Don't look at me like that. I know what I'm talking about. He loves you. He wants to be with you and that means he's going to have to eventually deal with questions about his girlfriend."

"I realize that. I really do but how many relationships actually last after they've hit the tabloids?" He didn't seem to have an answer for that question. "Exactly. I like it being just us."

"But what if you guys get married? He can't keep it a secret forever."

I looked at him for a minute and then busted out in to a round of loud and probably annoying laughter.

"What?" He frowned at me.

"Married?" I managed between giggles. "We're not even in the vicinity of talking about that."

"He wants you to move in with him. I'd say that's in the vicinity," he said.

I abruptly stopped laughing and looked at him like he had two heads or something.

"How did you know about that?"

"He told me," Graupner said matter-of-factly. "He asked me if I thought it would freak you out."

"What did you say?"

"I said that there was only one way to find out." He laughed briefly and then said, "No, I told him that you were crazy about him, anyone could see that and it would probably make you really happy to know he was ready to take that big of a step with you."

_There's a whole other side to the G-man…_

"Wow," I said. I was seeing Graupner in a whole new light.

"I have my moments," he insisted, that goofy grin back on his face.

"Apparently." I smiled at him. Just about the time we were getting ready to head back in, a group of about four girls came out.

"Did you see that skank he walked in with?" The blonde girl said as she lit her cigarette. "She's not even pretty."

They were facing away from us and I was partially glad they were, otherwise they would've seen me and might've stopped talking. Call me a masochist, but I wanted to know what they were saying about me.

"I know, right? He could do so much better," another of the girls chimed in.

"Of course he's always with a different ho anyway."

Graupner studied my face as we both continued to listen to the horrible things they were saying.

"I'll tell you one thing, if he ever hopes to get any of the classy pussy, he's gonna have to wrap that shit twice." All of the girls burst out laughing.

"That's enough of that bull shit," I said and whirled around. Graupner followed close on my heels.

By the time I'd reached the group of girls, I was shaking with anger.

"Excuse me, but I overheard your little conversation over here and you are all a bunch of fucking cunts," I began. The girls all looked at me wide eyed but I didn't care. "How dare you presume to know _anything_ at all about Jackson's personal life? How dare you talk about him like this at his own fucking birthday party! Are you stupid or did you just forget whose birthday you were _supposed _to be celebrating? You all make me sick and it would probably be wise for you to stay the hell out of my way for the rest of the evening." I took a deep breath and summoned all my strength to keep from punching that squinty-eyed bitch with the blonde hair. I turned to make my dramatic exit, when one of the other girls spoke.

"And just who the hell do you think you are? His girlfriend or something?" They all began to laugh again and rather than cause a scene, I turned and stalked back towards the party.

Graupner laughed and slapped me a little too hard on the back. "Fuck yeah Rhiannon! Way to show those bitches what's up." I smiled and tried to relax.

"Show what bitches what's up?" Jackson asked as we walked back up.

"Nothing you need to worry about, birthday boy," I greeted him and then kissed him softly on the lips.

"What was that for? I thought you didn't want people to see."

"Someone helped me realize that I don't care." I looked at Graupner who was pretending not to pay attention.

Jackson looked in the direction I was looking in and smiled. "Remind me to thank him later," he said and then kissed me again, this time a little deeper.

We spent the rest of the time drinking, dancing and talking. I found out that Jerad was a pretty phenomenal dancer and that Graupner got all philosophical when he'd been drinking. Jerad and Ben J provided the comedic relief and Jackson and I had the time of our lives. He told the guys about the present I got him and they all wanted to see it so we decided to move the party upstairs as it was getting really late anyways.

On the way out, some dark headed girl made a rude comment about me being with Jackson but I had decided to just let it go. He, on the other hand, did not.

"Hi ladies," he greeted the girl and her red headed friend. "I couldn't help but over hear what you said about my girlfriend."

"Jackson," I hissed. He just held up his hand and then returned his attention to the extremely attractive girls in front of him.

"Your _girlfriend?_" the dark headed girl asked, clearly shocked.

"Yes, this is my girlfriend and I would really appreciate it if you wouldn't say things like that about her." He smiled. "Thank you for coming to the party and I hope you enjoy the rest of your night."

With that he placed his hand on my back and led me out. I resisted the urge to turn back to the girls and do something childish like stick my tongue out at them.

We all hung out in the room for a bit and then Uncle announced that he needed to get some rest so he left and not long after that, the rest of the guys went to their rooms too leaving me and Jackson alone.

"So you told Graupner that you were going to ask me to move in with you?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Shit, he told you?"

I giggled and nodded. "I'm not upset or anything."

"Good," he sighed in relief. "I was nervous. I guess I needed to hear that it would work out."

I smiled widely at him and leaned in to kiss his neck.

"Mmmm," he hummed. "I can't think of a better way to spend my birthday weekend than to be right here with you." I moved my kisses all the way down his neck and then back up.

"Ready for round…wait, what round are we on?" I asked. His Adam's apple moved as he silently laughed.

"I'm ready for whatever round we're on and more," he whispered. He then tangled his hands in my hair and pulled my face to his, engaging me in a passionate kiss that left my entire body tingling.

Two hours later, we were tangled up in each other's arms, covered in sweat, and completely blissed out. Sex with Jackson was always different, exciting, and utterly mind blowing. I doubted there would ever be a time that I wouldn't want him. I doubted there would ever be a time that I wouldn't be in love with him. I also knew what my answer would be to his life-altering question. I just needed to discuss it with my family and hope they would understand.

~o.O.o~

The rest of the weekend was spent partying and generally having a blast. It ended far before I was ready for it to but I knew there were things I had to take care of at home. I decided not to tell Jackson my decision until after I'd had a chance to talk everything over with the other important people in my life but hoped I wouldn't have to keep him waiting long.

My flight home was different than the flight to Vegas because I sure as hell wasn't looking forward to the upcoming conversations and I wasn't looking forward to being without Jackson again. I pretty much spent the flight jumping between being depressed and nervous.

Stacy picked me up from the airport and proceeded to ask about a bagillion questions about the weekend. I figured she was as good a person as any to begin having those important conversations about my future plans with.

"Can I tell you something without you freaking out?" I asked tentatively.

"Depends. What is it?" Her curiosity was piqued.

"Well Jackson kind of asked me something. Something big," I began.

"Oh my fucking God! Did he ask you to marry him?" She bounced up and down as she waited for my response.

"No! Nothing like that," I said and then laughed at her disappointed expression. "He asked me to move in with him."

"He what?" she asked. I got a little worried because she didn't sound too happy about it.

"You heard me."

"Rhi, that…that's…well it's great," she finally said. "You're going to do it right?"

"Yes, I think I am. You're not upset about it?"

"Well, I'm going to miss you like crazy but I'm really happy for you, the both of you. You guys are great together, and I couldn't ask for anyone better to take care of you. So…yeah, I'm a little upset but I'm thrilled for you, too." She smiled as we pulled in to her driveway.

"Thanks, Stace. That means a lot to me."

She just nodded and we got out of the car. She helped me carry my bags to my car and as we were putting them in, she hit me with a bombshell of her own.

"So I told Eddie that I loved him," she said and glanced at me out of the corner of her eyes.

"What did he say?" I asked excitedly.

She didn't say anything at first and I started to get worried that I'd given her bad advice.

"Stacy, the suspense is killing me."

"Well at first he didn't really say anything. Then when he did finally open up, he said that he loved me too but he didn't know if he was really ready for this so we're taking some time apart so that he can get his head right, or that's what he said anyway." I thought I saw her eyes fill up with tears, but she looked away from me before I could be sure.

"Stacy…I'm so sorry." I put my arms around her and hugged her tight. "I shouldn't have told you to tell him. I'm so sorry."

She backed away from me and wiped the tears from her eyes. "No, this is not your fault, Rhi. He needed to know and I'm glad I told him."

"He'll come back. I know he will."

"I hope you're right," she said. "I love him so much." The tears spilled from her eyes and down her cheeks.

I decided to wait to go home and just spend the afternoon with Stacy to try to comfort her. We ended up just watching some mindless TV and talking. I'd texted Jackson to let him know what was going on and that I'd call him when I got home.

When I finally left Stacy she was opening a bottle of wine. I made her promise to call me later and then left her to head home.

I called Jackson and then my parents to let them know I was home and then unpacked. I talked to Stacy before I went to bed to make sure she was ok and then I called Evan to see what the hell Eddie's problem was.

"Rhiannon, he needs time. He's been through a lot but he does love her."

"He's hurting her. How does that show her he loves her?" I was angry because I was caught between two very good friends and I didn't know which way to lean. I could understand Eddie's feelings but I hated that it was hurting Stacy so much.

"It's killing him to hurt her. It really is but he wants to make sure that he can commit to her," he said. "Personally I think he's doing the right thing. I hate that Stacy's upset but I'm sure that this is only temporary. Just be patient."

"I hope for Eddie's sake you're right. I'd hate to have to castrate him."

Evan laughed and then told me he had to go. He was on break at work so after making him promise not to tell Eddie that we'd talked about his and Stacy's dilemma, we hung up.

I went to bed soon after and spent the days before Christmas immersed in work on the band's website and trying to book shows for after the first of the year. I spoke to Marty and Lani several times and eventually got a pretty good schedule ironed out that would coincide with all of our schedules and Evan and Mia's wedding. I also talked with Jackson as much as we both could manage, promising to give him an answer to his question soon.

I was dreading telling my parents about my upcoming move but knew it had to be done so I decided to tell everyone at the same time when we had Christmas at my parent's.

My nerves were shot by the time I pulled up outside my mom and Tom's house on Christmas morning. I gave myself a quick pep talk as I walked up to the door.

_You can do this, Rhiannon. They're going to be ok with it. They won't freak out…_

"Freak out about what?" Mia asked scaring the shit out of me.

"Dammit, Mia!" I yelled and then calmed myself somewhat. "You can't just sneak up on people like that."

"There was no sneaking involved, Rhi. You were just too busy talking to yourself to realize that I was behind you." She cocked her eyebrow. "What's got you so freaked anyway? Oh my God! Are you pregnant?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Hell no!" I left it at that and headed inside.

We opened presents and then sat down to our annual Christmas brunch. Mom always made the best cinnamon pancakes along with sausage, eggs, and fresh fruit. I kept trying to start the conversation but was always interrupted by something to do with the wedding so I finally gave up until Mia brought it up.

"So Rhiannon are you going to tell me what you were stressing about this morning?"

I shot her a look but she just folded her arms across her chest and smiled, clearly pleased with herself.

"What are you talking about?" Evan asked her.

"Ask your sister," she answered, that mocking smile growing wider as she saw me squirm.

Everyone's eyes were on me.

_Shit…_

"Well honey, what's going on?" My mother asked.

"Nothing bad or at least I hope you guys don't think it's bad. I don't really know how you're going to react but _I_ think it's great, I just –"

"Rhiannon spit it out," Evan interrupted me.

"Ok fine," I said, annoyed. "Jackson asked me to move in with him and I've decided to say yes." I looked down quickly and poked at the left-over food on my plate, waiting for the response I'd been dreading for days.

When no one spoke, I chanced looking up.

They were all just staring at me. "Will someone say something please?"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Tom asked breaking the silence.

"I am," I said quietly. "I love him and I want to be with him more."

"I know you do, sweet heart but this is a big step."

"Well I think it's fantastic," Mom said. "I've always wanted to go to Los Angeles and this will give me another reason to visit and visit often." She smiled warmly at me and grabbed my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"What about the band, Rhi? Can you still manage us when you're that far away?" Evan asked.

"I think we can make it work. I mean it works for 100 Monkeys and their manager so I'm sure we can figure it out," I told him.

"When are you planning on leaving?" Tom broke in.

"I'm not sure. I haven't even told Jackson yet. I just told him I had to think about it." I looked at them all. "But I know what I want and it's him."

After a few more questions and Tom insisting that I allow them to help me move, the subject was finally dropped. I felt better knowing that they were all supporting me somewhat at least.

I was sitting outside smoking a cigarette when my phone rang. I smiled as I answered.

"Merry Christmas, cowboy."

"Merry Christmas, baby girl."

"How is your day going?" I asked him, lighting another cigarette.

"It would be perfect if I was with you," he answered. "But it's pretty good considering."

"Well I have some news that may brighten your day just a bit, I think."

"Oh yeah? And what would that be?" I could actually _hear_ his smile through the phone.

"I've made my decision about moving in with you and if the offer still stands, I'd like to take you up on it."

"Seriously? You're going to move in with me?" He sounded so excited and I couldn't help but giggle.

"Yes, I am going to move in with you."

He started laughing out of pure joy. When he'd calmed down he said, "You have made me the happiest guy in the world right now, baby."

"Well good," I said. "Now we just have to figure everything else out."

"We will, I promise. Right now I just want to enjoy the fact that soon, I'll be seeing a lot more of you."

We talked for a little bit longer as I told him everyone's reactions. Then I chatted with Randee and Papa Rathbone for a few minutes to wish them a Merry Christmas. After Jackson promised to call me later to make the plans, we hung up and I went back inside.

I tried to concentrate on the holiday special that was on the TV but all I seemed to be able to think about was Jackson and how everything was about to change.

**Well…? I hope you enjoyed it and liked the outcome of the whole fiasco. **

**As I stated in the previous notes, I have donated a story to the Fandom against Famine compilation. If you would like to receive the story, you may donate to a charity of your choice (as long as it's for the efforts in East Africa) and then email a receipt to fandomagainstfamine(at)gmail(dot)com. They are accepting donations until the end of the month and those who donate will get a copy of my story along with all others who donated their stories and any banners that accompany those stories.**

**In addition, all those who review this chapter will get a teaser from the FAF story.**

**Now before I go, I would like to do a few fic recs. The first one is by one of my pre readers, Lilaea. She has written a fantastic story for Criminal Minds. If you're a fan, you should check it out. It's on my favorites. The other one is by the one and only VicesVsVirtues and is a Jackson RPF. It's a delicious story and she even has some amazing out takes posted that go along with it. This story is also in my favorites. **

**Once again, thank you for reading and REVIEW!...please? **


	13. On the Road Again

**Due to work and school related duties, this is late. I think that's a pretty good excuse, no? **

**I have begun writing the outtakes for this story. Some will be in Jackson POV and others will be in other character's POV. I'm going to start posting them on the alternating Sundays. So the first outtake will be posted next Sunday (not this Sunday, but the next), then Chapter 14 the following Sunday, then another outtake and so on and so forth. **

**Thank you so much for your continued patience and support! I appreciate you all more than you'll ever know!**

**Starchick7003, Lilaea, Mindy, and Tima83 are my heroes! **

**Chapter 13: On The Road Again**

"So we're looking at me not being able to move until about the middle of February, right?" I asked as I continued to pack. We were getting ready for ten glorious days on the road with 100 Monkeys doing shows in Vegas, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. We would've planned to do more with them, but Evan and Mia's wedding was on the 23rd and we needed to be back for the week leading up to it, especially since Abolish Luck's lead singer was the groom.

"Looks that way, baby," Jackson said and sighed. "At least I'm about to spend ten whole uninterrupted days with you."

I propped the phone up and put Jackson on speaker so I had two hands free to fold the delicate lingerie I was taking. I smiled at the completely see-through red nightie I had in my hand and quickly folded it. I could feel my cheeks burning and couldn't figure out why I still got embarrassed when it came to sexy clothing.

"You have no idea how much I'm looking forward to this," I said loud enough that he could still hear me as I grabbed a few more t shirts from my dresser and attempted to find somewhere to put them.

_I'm gonna need another fucking bag…_

"I think I have an idea," he laughed.

"Well there's all this shit with the wedding and honestly, I'm about ready to pull my hair out." I placed another small duffel bag on the bed and began filling it with more clothes. "I just need a break from it and I need to see you."

"I need to see you too," he said. "What time are you guys leaving tomorrow?"

"In about…" I looked at the clock and seeing that it was already midnight, I groaned. "Four hours and I am not even close to being done packing." I huffed and threw the toiletries I was able to pack in to the side pocket of the larger duffel bag.

"If you hadn't been such a procrastinator, you'd be done by now."

"Excuse me cowboy but I have _not_ been procrastinating," I insisted, picking up the phone so he could hear every word I was about to say. "Between this wedding, the shit with Stacy and Eddie, work, and talking to you, I have absolutely _no_ time for _anything_ else. I am packing now because this is the only time I could, you got that?"

He chuckled and said, "Yes ma'am."

"I can't believe I am going to be spending New Year's Eve in a fucking hotel room in Santa Fe, New Mexico." This was probably the millionth time that I'd complained about it since the plans were set in stone to leave New Year's Eve and drive to Santa Fe, stay the night there and then drive the rest of the way to Vegas the next day. If we were careful and managed our time wisely, we'd get to Vegas in just enough time to check in to our hotel and head over to the venue for sound check at 5. We were going to be exhausted but we were all looking forward to it.

"Just think about the fact that this time next year, we'll be spending New Year's Eve together." That was the same line he'd said every time I complained and just like every other time he'd said it, it made me smile and forget all about my issues…for the moment, at least.

"I know baby," I said and glanced at the clock. "Ok if I'm going to get any sleep before we have to leave, I need to finish packing."

"Ok sugar. Call me when you guys are leaving."

"Jackson, I told you I'm not calling you that early. You need to rest." This was yet another recurrent argument we'd been having the last few days.

"And I told you I don't give a shit how early it is, I want you to call me," he said attempting to sound all authoritative. I couldn't help but giggle.

"Ok, ok. I'll text you. How about that?"

"No, I said call," Jackson insisted.

"You're not even going to attempt to compromise with me, are you?" I asked.

"Nope. Call me or I'm going to stay up until 4 am and call you myself."

"No, please don't do that," I begged. I knew how tired it would make him and he knew I'd do anything to keep him from doing that. He wasn't playing fair but I really didn't have a choice but to surrender. I had to remind myself to pick my battles.

"You're gonna call me then?" he asked, knowing he'd won.

"Yes, I will call you when we're leaving. Ok?"

"Thank you. I love you," he said sweetly.

"I guess I love you, too," I said and smiled. "But just a little bit."

"Oh ok. Just a little bit, huh?"

"No. I'm totally lying," I admitted with a laugh. "I love you much too much."

He laughed at my "Smoke" reference and then we hung up.

I put my phone on the charger while I gathered the last of the items that needed to be packed. I would have to wait to pack some of my toiletries including my toothbrush, toothpaste, brush, etc. until after I'd used them in the morning.

So after I finished that, I tried to lie down and get some sleep. Unfortunately it didn't really work out too well for me and 3:30 arrived a hell of a lot sooner than I was ready for it to.

I groaned as I turned off my alarm and rolled out of bed. I threw my hair up in a loose pony tail, brushed my teeth, and put on deodorant so I could throw those things in my bag. I then changed in to a clean pair of sweat pants and my "Property of: Jackson" t shirt and tossed my dirty clothes in the hamper.

I didn't have time to make a decent breakfast so I just grabbed a banana and a red bull from the kitchen and lugged my bags to the front door. I had just untangled my arms from the straps when my phone rang.

"Good morning Evan!" I answered cheerfully.

"You're drinking a red bull aren't you?" he asked sleepily.

"Yep, are you here?"

"Pulling in. Are you ready?"

"Yes sir. I'll start bringing my bags out." I started to hang up but he stopped me.

"Hey, do you have any more of those red bulls?" he asked hopefully.

"I have a few. Do you want one?"

"I've got the first driving detail and I didn't get any sleep last night. Can I have one so I don't fall asleep at the wheel and kill us all?"

"Well since you put it that way…" I laughed when he sighed. "Of course you can have one."

"Thank you," he said. "We're outside so come on."

I told him I was on my way out and then hung up the phone. I did one last sweep of my apartment to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything and then opened the front door.

The cold air hit me like a brick wall and my teeth immediately started chattering.

"Fuck it's cold," I said to Evan as he walked up.

"It's December, Rhi," he said matter-of-factly.

I rolled my eyes as he took hold of my bags and carried them to the van. I turned around to shut and lock the door and realized that I'd forgotten to grab a red bull for Evan. It was a good thing I had to go back in because I noticed my phone charger still sitting on the counter in the kitchen.

_How the fuck did I miss that?_ I thought as I snatched it up.

After I was positive I had everything and all the lights and the heat was off, I locked the door and headed to Evan's car. I waved at Jerry who was driving the van and glared at Eddie who had decided to ride with Jerry this time so he didn't have to hear me bitch at him about Stacy.

I slid in to the back seat and sighed when the warmth of the heat enveloped me. I got comfortable as we pulled out and took out my phone to call Jackson.

"Hello?" he rasped.

"Hey baby."

"Rhiannon, you called," he said as happily as he could manage.

"Well of course I did," I smiled. "We're leaving now. Just wanted to let you know that." He yawned and I couldn't help but feel horrible for waking him up. "Go back to sleep, ok? Just call me when you get up."

He yawned again and then said, "Ok baby girl. Please be careful."

We exchanged I love yous and hung up. I decided to get some rest as well before it was my turn to drive and settled in to the back seat, shoving my ear buds in to my ear and turning on the most mellow play list I could find on my iPod.

Three hours and the second playlist in, I still wasn't falling asleep thanks to the red bull I'd decided to drink. Frustrated, I pulled the ear buds out of my ears and pulled out a book instead.

Chris was lightly snoring in the passenger seat and Evan was singing quietly to some song on the radio. I leaned up and put my hand on his shoulder, making him jump.

"Shit!" he hissed and then chuckled. "You scared me. I thought you were sleeping."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I was just checking on you." I looked at Chris and giggled. "He seems to be sleeping pretty well."

Evan glanced at Chris and laughed. "Yeah, he didn't go to sleep last night either. We were trying to get that new song ready to perform in Vegas."

"Oh yeah. Is it ready? Last time I heard it, you guys weren't even close to being ready to perform it." I wasn't able to make it to as many practices as I had been going to due to trying to work out my move. It was proving to be ridiculously difficult.

"It's ready," Evan said with a smile. "We worked our asses off on it and it's gonna be awesome!" He slapped his hands against the steering wheel to the beat of the song on the radio.

"I can't wait to hear the finished product." I smiled at Evan in the rearview mirror.

"Rhi, how is this gonna work with you being so far away?"

"I told you before, we'll make it work. I don't care what I have to do, we'll work it out," I tried to assure him but unfortunately the truth was, I was beginning to worry about it myself. I knew that it could be done but I didn't know what my lifestyle and schedule would be like once I moved in with Jackson. "Anyway, there's no need to worry about that right now. I'm not moving until about the middle of February."

"Why are you waiting so long?" Evan asked.

"Well Jackson gets a few days off around that time and you and Mia are getting married in a few weeks so I didn't want to try to move so close to the wedding. It's just better if we wait."

He nodded and then dropped the subject though it looked like he had more on his mind. I didn't push it though. The red bull had finally worn off and I was feeling really tired.

I settled back in my seat again and within no time at all, I was sleeping soundly.

~o.O.o~

"Rhiannon, wake up," Chris said as he lightly shook me. When I opened my eyes, he smiled big and announced, "Breakfast!"

I sat up and looked out of the window. Sure enough, we were parked outside a quaint little Diner and Evan, Eddie, and Jerry were already walking inside.

"What time is it?" I asked and stretched.

"It's a little after ten," Chris answered and helped me out of the backseat. "We're getting some food and then I'm driving."

We walked into the Diner and took our seats with the rest of the guys. Eddie was refusing to make eye contact with me so I felt it was best to put all this shit to rest so that we wouldn't spend the entire trip acting awkward around each other.

"Hey," I said and waved my hand at him. He looked up at me warily.

"What?" he asked, getting pissed.

"First, lose the attitude. I'm trying to apologize here."

"Apologize? What the hell for?" He looked extremely surprised and it made me laugh.

"I've been unfair to you about this whole Stacy thing. I know that you feel like what you are doing is right and if you really feel that way, there's nothing I can do about it," I said and then leaned up so that I was looking him straight in the eyes. "I just want you to know that I love Stacy. She's like a sister to me and she loves you. She misses you and it hurts her so in return it hurts me. Please just figure your mess out and let her go for good or get her back. Ok?"

He smiled at me and said, "Is that your idea of an apology?"

I folded my arms across my chest and nodded. "That's all you're getting so I hope you recorded it for later playback."

The whole table erupted in to laughter and just like that all signs of awkwardness were gone and we were able to relax, eat, and have fun together.

We were all heading outside to smoke when Eddie grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the others. I looked at him questioningly when we stopped and he let go of my arm.

"What's up?" I asked.

"Do you think Stacy still loves me?" He looked down and kicked at the loose gravel under his feet.

"Well of course she does. You can't just turn love on and off, Eddie."

He smiled briefly and nodded. "Do you think she'll forgive me?"

"Yes, I do. Call her. Call her right now," I demanded and nudged him.

He looked up at me and smiled while he pulled his phone out of his pocket. I gave him a reassuring smile and then walked over to the others and lit a cigarette.

"What's Eddie doing?" Jerry asked, motioning towards where Eddie was standing.

"Calling Stacy," I answered and smiled.

"It's about fucking time," Chris laughed.

"See, I told you there was nothing to worry about, Rhi," Evan chimed in.

I was just about to say something sarcastic when my phone rang.

_Jackson!_

"Well hello there Mr. Rathbone." I smiled as he chuckled in to the phone.

"Hey there Miss Grey," he returned. "Where are you guys?"

"I don't know. Somewhere in Texas." I shrugged and then sat down on the curb while I finished my cigarette.

"We just got to the hotel in Vegas," he informed me. His voice dropped a little lower when he said, "I got us a really nice room. Wait until you see it."

"I'm sure it's lovely, baby, but what I'm most concerned about is how nice the _bed_ is."

"Oh trust me sweet heart, the bed is the best part," he said seductively.

"Mmmm…I can't wait," I almost moaned.

"Me either, baby. I'm getting hard just thinking about you and me in this bed."

"Oh yeah?" I asked him, starting to get turned on myself.

"Fuck yeah," he said.

"Rhi, we have to go," Chris said, wagging the keys to Evan's car back and forth.

_Dammit! I want a fucking teleportation device…_

"What's the matter darlin'?"

"I have to go. We're getting back on the road and I really don't think it would be appropriate for me to have phone sex with you in my brother's car." We both laughed and then he sighed.

"Call me later?" he asked.

"I'll call you when we get to the hotel in Santa Fe and I'm alone."

"Yeah, you do that, baby girl."

"I love you," I whispered.

"I love you."

I drug ass back to the car. I really wasn't looking forward to the next ten hours in the car, four of which I would be driving. I had a plan though. I was going to read for a while and then turn on my writing playlist on my iPod and write in the journal I'd gotten from Jackson in his care package. I was hoping by keeping myself busy the time would just fly by.

Luckily for me, it worked. The six hours Chris drove seemed more like three hours. We stopped for dinner just inside New Mexico and then I took over the driving for the last leg of our journey.

We actually made really good time, pulling in to our hotel at 7:45 pm New Mexico time. After checking us in, I headed back out to the car and was shocked to find Stacy standing at the car, her and Eddie sucking each other's faces off.

"Stacy!" I squealed, and she reluctantly pulled away from Eddie.

She skipped up to me and hugged me. "Hey Rhi!"

I looked behind her at Eddie who was wearing an extremely goofy smile while he watched me and Stacy.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her.

"Eddie called and said he really wanted to see me so I got on the first plane and here I am." She looked happier than I'd ever seen her and it made me want to hug her again so I did. "I'm just picking Eddie up. I got us a room at a hotel about three miles down the road."

She laughed at the expression on my face and then walked back to Eddie.

"Everything good to go?" Evan asked.

"Yes sir," I said and smiled, gesturing towards Eddie and Stacy as they climbed in to what I assumed was Stacy's rental car. "I'm glad they made up."

"I told you they'd work it out," Evan said with a smile.

"I know, I know. I was over reacting and all that bull shit." I rolled my eyes and flipped him off.

He laughed and draped his arm over my shoulders as we walked to our rooms.

I decided to just relax and watch some TV so after a quick shower and a phone call to Mom and Tom, I settled in on the bed to watch the New Year's Eve special. Just as soon as I'd gotten situated there was a knock on my door _and_ my phone rang at the same time. I jumped off the bed, grabbed my phone, and headed to the door. I answered both the phone and the door at the same time.

"Hello?" I said in to the phone as I pulled the door open.

"Hey baby," Jackson said but it was in stereo because there he was, standing outside my door in all his lusciousness.

"What the fuck?" I whispered as I smiled really wide. I hung up the phone and jumped in to Jackson's waiting arms.

He kissed me softly and then sat me back down on the ground. We walked inside and sat down on the bed, scooting up to the headboard and propping ourselves up against it.

"You know you're going to spoil me if you keep surprising me like this," I laughed and leaned against his chest. "What are you doing here?"

"I didn't want you to spend New Year's Eve by yourself, baby. I drove in. Just got here a few minutes ago," he said with a smile. "And I don't really mind spoiling you this way. I'm kind of spoiling myself at the same time."

I snuggled in closer, as close as I could get and sighed in complete satisfaction.

"So what are your plans, you party animal?" He laughed at his lame joke and I slapped his chest playfully.

"I'll have you know that I have strippers on the way and a bag full of liquor. I plan to get wasted and have hot sweaty men grinding all over me."

"Do you now?" he asked and raised his eyebrow at me. I nodded and smiled mischievously. He started to say something but didn't. Instead he started tickling me. I screamed and slapped at him, giggling uncontrollably. I somehow got a hold of his shoulders and pushed him on to his back. I don't know if he just let me or if he was caught off guard but nonetheless, I ended up on top of him and straddling his waist.

"I think I like this," he said and moved his hands to my backside, giving it a little squeeze.

"I think I like it too, cowboy." I leaned in and kissed him. I immediately started grinding my hips in to him and it wasn't long before my friend came out to play. He was moaning softly holding on to my ass as I rocked back and forth on him. I sat up and placed my hands on his chest giving him an intensely lustful look. His hands slid under my shirt and up to my breasts. I moaned as he cupped them and massaged them gently.

Suddenly we both jumped when there was a knock on my door.

"Dammit," I complained. I got off of Jackson and went to the door. I looked behind me at him while he was situating his erection and waited for him to give me the signal that he was ready for whoever was on the other side of the door. When he smiled and nodded, I opened the door to Chris, Evan, and Jerry who were holding bags in their hands and smiling.

"Party's here!" Jerry announced. "Happy fucking New Year!"

I moved out of the way as they all filed in. Jackson stood and greeted them all and then we sat as they emptied the contents of their bags on the floor and surrounding tables. There was whiskey, beer, and a few small bottles of tequila as well as bags of chips and other various junk foods. There were bottles of coke to mix the whiskey with and a few of the really cheesy "Happy New Year!" hats and noisemakers.

"Eddie and Stacy are gonna be here in just a little bit," Evan told me as we began to make drinks.

"Why did you bother them Evan? They probably want some alone time, you know."

"Like you and Jackson?" he asked and grinned. "I'm really surprised that you didn't hit us for interrupting."

"Jackson and I will have plenty of time for that later. I'm actually really glad you guys came," I said and took a sip of my Jack and coke. "Whoo!"

"Too strong?" Evan asked and took a sip. He made a face and sat it back down on the counter and twisted the cap off of the coke, pouring just a bit more on top and then stirring it with a straw. "Try that," he said and handed it to me.

I reluctantly took a sip. It was actually pretty perfect. I smiled and he returned my smile, looking over his shoulder and asking if anyone else wanted one while he was making them.

Orders were taken and we all started chatting while Evan played bartender. Not long after Evan finally came to sit down, there was a knock on the door. It was Eddie and Stacy and Eddie brought Vodka with him.

"Good God we're all gonna be trashed," I whispered to Jackson.

He chuckled and kissed me on the cheek, "Well as long as that's the general consensus," he said to me and then raised his voice so Evan could hear him. "Evan, I'd like a shot please."

"Fuck yeah Jay! Get this shit started right," Eddie said and slapped Jackson on the back. He then nuzzled in to Stacy's neck making her giggle and slap at him.

"Why don't we all just take a shot?" Chris asked.

"Sounds good to me," Jerry laughed.

Evan shrugged and then turned towards the table to make the shots. He returned to the group and started passing out the shots he'd poured in the small, clear plastic cups the hotel provided. He had to make a few trips but once we were all served, we raised our glasses, toasted to the New Year, and then took our shots.

"So Jay was she surprised?" Evan asked. I whipped my head around to look at Evan and then looked at Jackson accusingly.

"He knew?" I asked him.

Jackson and Evan laughed together and it warmed my heart to see them actually getting along really well.

"I've been texting him all day, Rhi," Evan said. "I've been keeping him updated on where we were and all that. How else do you think he had such impeccable timing?"

I thought about it for a second and smiled. I guess I was just too thrilled to see him to care about trivial things such as timing.

"You two are gonna be the death of me," I muttered as I took the last big gulp of my Jack and coke. "Anyone need a refill?" I gathered all the empty plastic cups we'd taken our shots in and tossed them in the trash. Jackson wanted another shot, Stacy wanted a screwdriver, and Evan needed another Jack and coke. The rest of the guys seemed to be doing just fine on their drinks. So after it was my turn to play bartender, I took my fresh drink, grabbed my cigarettes, and stepped out to the patio of my room to smoke. Stacy came out just minutes after I did and joined me.

"So you told Eddie to call me?" she asked after she'd lit her cigarette.

"Guilty." I smiled really big at her.

She smiled at first and then her face became unreadable. "Thank you, Rhi. Seriously. Thank you," she said with so much emotion my eyes began to fill up with tears. The smile returned to her lips and I was saved.

I cleared my throat and took another drink of my alcoholic beverage.

"You know Evan and Jackson are getting along really well," Stacy said and nudged me.

"I know," I gushed. "It's about damn time right?" We laughed and continued smoking our cigarettes.

"When you and Jackson get married I _am_ going to be the maid of honor right?" Stacy asked suddenly and then laughed when I looked at her like she'd lost her damn mind.

"When? How about _if_, Stacy? We haven't even discussed marriage yet," I informed her. "Geez what is it with you and Graupner?"

Stacy looked at me questioningly.

"Graupner said that Jackson and I would have to make our relationship public when we got married. Now _you're_ asking to be the maid of honor. So what gives because I can assure you that there is no wedding!"

"You don't want to marry me?" Jackson asked. His voice coming from behind me both scared me and embarrassed me simultaneously.

I felt my face heat up and shot Stacy a death glare for laughing at me. Taking a deep breath, I slowly turned around to face the sexy man who owned my heart.

For someone who was such an amazing actor, he couldn't seem to keep a straight face when our eyes met and he could see the full extent of my embarrassment.

He and Stacy launched in to a round of laughter while I gave them each a nice present in the form of my middle finger. Stacy made a face and stubbed out her cigarette. She winked at me as she headed back inside.

"Sorry about that. It just seems that everyone is under the impression that we're getting married," I laughed nervously and pulled out another cigarette. Jackson lit his and then held out the flame to light mine.

"Are we not?" he asked and looked at me.

I thought I could actually feel the heat igniting my cheeks. "What?" I asked in a small voice.

"Baby, I think it's pretty clear how I feel about you," Jackson said and smiled. "I know it's a little soon to seriously talk about it but the thought has crossed my mind a time or two. The truth is I can't imagine not having you in my life. So do I want to marry you? Yes, I do." He looked up at me and said, "Just thought I'd let you know." He smiled that heartbreakingly beautiful smile and placed his right hand over my left one, rubbing my ring finger with his fingertips. "Someday I'm going to put a ring on that finger and be the luckiest guy in the world."

I didn't know what to say. The gravity of what he'd just told me was both frightening and wonderful.

"What's wrong baby?" he asked, his face twisted in to a look of worry.

"Nothing," I answered a little too quickly. It didn't help that I couldn't seem to look him in the eye.

"Come on, Rhiannon. Talk to me."

"Honestly, I don't know what to say," I admitted, finally bringing my eyes up to his. "I feel bad because you've obviously thought about this but I haven't. I mean, I have but not as much as you." I looked back down at our hands.

"Well isn't this backwards?" he laughed.

"What? What's backwards?"

"Isn't it usually the girl in relationships that starts the marriage talk?" he asked and tossed his cigarette over the balcony. "And the guy's the one that hasn't really thought about it?"

"Well I guess so but when have you ever known me to be a typical girl?"

"What?" he feigned surprise. "Not a typical girl? When the hell did this happen?" He laughed and dodged my fist that was headed straight for his arm.

"Asshole," I muttered and then smiled. "It's not that I don't want to marry you. I just haven't given it much thought. Maybe it's because I assumed it was a given, I don't know." I shrugged and looked down.

"Or maybe it's because I think about our future more than you do," he teased. I shot him one of my famous, "I'm about to beat your ass" looks and he laughed, draping his arm over my shoulders.

"So what are you trying to say? That _you_ love me more than _I_ love you?" I demanded and then nipped at his neck.

"Maybe," he breathed as my tongue ran the length of his neck, stopping right under his chin. "I may need a little convincing to the contrary."

"Oh yeah? And what would you like me to do to convince you?" I asked seductively as I moved my hand down his chest, stomach, and all the way to his dick. I palmed it through his jeans and he hissed in response.

I glanced behind me to see if anyone was coming out or paying any attention to us. Thankfully they weren't.

"Baby, wait," he said and put his hand over mine, gently pulling it away from his pants. "Not here."

"I want you, Jackson. Now." I looked deep in to his eyes hoping to convey the amount of desire I was feeling at that moment.

He leaned in and got right up against my ear. I could feel his breath and his lips brushed my ear as he whispered, "Not here, darlin'. I'll fuck you so hard anywhere but here."

"But where - ?" I couldn't finish my question because his lips were on mine moving urgently against them. As his tongue entered my mouth, his hand slid up my shirt.

"Rhiannon, please. I need you. I need to feel you," he moaned against my lips.

"Holy shit, Jackson." I knew I was dangerously close to losing control and ripping his clothes off right then and there so I suggested the first thing that came to my mind, "The car."

He stopped and looked at me, questioningly at first and then a sly smile spread across his lips.

"The car," he agreed. He then grabbed my hand and led me back inside where everyone was having a blast, drinking and talking but we were running on a one-track mind so we didn't bother to even speak to anyone as we walked out the front door and down to Jackson's rental car.

He hit the button to unlock it and immediately opened the back door. He looked at me and smiled as he gestured to the open door.

"Ladies first," he said and winked.

I giggled and then climbed inside, lying down on my back and scooting as close to the other side as possible. Jackson leaned in to the car and unzipped my pants. He looked up at me and smirked as he pulled them down along with my panties. After he'd discarded them in the floor board, he unzipped his own pants and I gasped as I realized he wasn't wearing any underwear. The site released a flood gate between my legs and the only thing I wanted at that moment was his dick inside me. I sat up and grabbed his shirt, pulling him in to the car and on top of me.

I spread my legs and he settled in between them. We both moaned in unison as he entered me. He kept his eyes glued to mine as he slowly pulled out, leaving just the tip inside and then thrust himself hard and deep inside of me.

"Fuck!" I screamed and grabbed fistfuls of his t shirt.

"You like that?" he asked as he drove in to me again.

"Y-y-yes," I stuttered and then whore moaned.

He grabbed my thighs and sped up the pace, grunting and breathing hard. His hips slammed against my pubic bone and I cried out.

"Fuck, I love you," Jackson moaned as he crushed his lips to mine, immediately shoving his tongue down my throat. I squeezed my thighs tight around his waist and lifted my hips up to meet his, attempting to match his force. He called out my name and grabbed my ass, helping me keep up with his rhythm.

"Jackson…Oh fuck…" I breathed as I felt the tightening in my stomach. My head fell back against the seat. "Oh God…" My body began to shake all over.

"Cum for me, baby," Jackson commanded, thrusting harder and harder.

"Holy fucking shit," I moaned at the sound of his words. Seconds later, my body went in to convulsions as I came. I screamed Jackson's name over and over as I rode out my orgasm. I didn't even have a chance to settle down before he stiffened and his body jerked as he came.

He gently kissed me and then laid his head down on my chest, both of us still breathing hard. I ran my fingers through his hair and smiled. He hummed against my chest and ran his fingertips along my arm, leaving a trail of goose bumps in their path.

"I love you," I said suddenly, breaking the silence.

He rose up off of my chest and looked at me. "I love you, too Rhiannon."

He then kissed me again as he pulled out of me and buttoned his pants up. I sat up while he grabbed my pants and panties, handing them to me as he smiled.

I bumped my head, crashed my elbow against the window, and knocked my knee against the back of the seat all in the short span of time it took me to get dressed. Jackson just laughed and shook his head.

"Shut up and help me out of this car," I grumbled. He laughed again but reached his hand in to the car and took hold of mine, helping me out like a gentleman. I shoved him playfully and took off back to the hotel room.

"Are we racing?" I heard Jackson call from behind me. I just laughed in response and ran faster. It wasn't long before I could hear the sounds of his footsteps getting closer and closer.

I pushed myself harder, determined not to let him win. I reached the stairs first and took them two at a time, reaching the top just before Jackson. Before I could get away from him, he grabbed me around the waist and pulled me in to him, spinning me around to face him.

"You lose," he said breathlessly and then leaned in to kiss me but I put my finger to his lips to stop him.

"Not yet, I haven't," I teased and then pushed him away from me breaking out in to a sprint to the hotel room door. He was right on my heels and managed to get his arms around my waist again but not before I made it to the door.

"I win," I stated as he pushed me gently against the door.

"You win," he agreed. He planted a soft kiss on my lips and said, "Do you want your prize?" He then kissed me again this time deepening the kiss tremendously and pushing his body against mine. I wrapped my arms around his neck snaking my fingers in to his hair. As we were engaged in this passionate kiss, the door opened and we almost fell inside. Jackson's strength was the only thing that saved us. He tightened his grip around my waist and pulled me away from the door just before I could fall which would've undoubtedly caused him to fall as well.

"Whoops," Evan laughed. "Didn't know you guys were there." He looked in between us and asked, "Where have you two been anyway?"

"We were checking out Jackson's rental car," I said and looked at Jackson, who looked away from me to keep from laughing.

"Right," Evan scoffed and then stepped out of the way to let us in. "I have to call my lovely bride to be so if you guys don't mind…" He gestured for us to go inside so he could have some privacy.

Jackson released his grip and we went inside.

"Tell Mia I said hi," I managed to get in before Evan had completely shut the door.

We rejoined the party and began drinking again. About an hour later, we all decided it would be fun to play Bull Shit. Bull Shit is a very fun card game regardless of the fact that I am a terrible liar and never win. Eddie was usually the victor when we played but this time Jackson gave him a run for his money and actually ended up beating him.

"I never lose!" Eddie pouted.

"How about I get you a drink?" Jackson asked as he smirked, clearly enjoying his win.

"Fuck you, dude," Eddie laughed and they both went up for a shot of whiskey.

"Guys, it's 11:55!" Stacy announced excitedly. Evan went to work preparing the shots for our New Year's toast, I turned up the TV, Stacy passed out the noisemakers and the hats, and we all settled around the TV for the countdown. I sat between Jackson's legs on the floor and leaned my head back against his chest, listening to the thump of his heartbeat. In that moment, I was so complete; so full of love, desire, and joy that I couldn't imagine anything ever being more perfect.

"Here we go," Chris said as the announcer on the TV began the countdown from ten.

We all joined in and then yelled, "Happy New Year!" when the countdown was complete, taking our shots and wishing each other a great year.

I turned to Jackson, my boyfriend and love of my life; the man who had repeatedly gone above and beyond to make me happy and feel special.

"Happy New Year, Jackson. I love you," I said and kissed him.

"Happy New Year, Rhiannon," he said and then kissed me again. "2010 is going to be a great year."

**Hot back seat sex, a marriage talk, AND Stacy and Eddie made up! Christmas came early for you guys this year, huh? Next chapter's Evan and Mia's wedding! **

**Thoughts? Reviews are very much appreciated! Thanks again for reading!**


	14. Life Altered

**How did everyone like the very first outtake? I hope you all enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to posting more. **

**This chapter…Evan and Mia's wedding! Hooray for them! Also…a bit of a warning: Things are about to get pretty angsty. I'm warning you all out of sheer love for you so I hope it doesn't scare you off. In the spirit of this love, I'm going to post for 2 straight weeks in a row. So next Sunday I will post Chapt. 15 AND the second outtake. **

**NOTE: There are only 6 chapters left and then the Epi of this story. It's coming to an end…**

**Anyway, massive amounts of love and thanks to Lilaea, Starchick7003, Mindy, and Tima83! **

**Enjoy!**

**~o.O.o~ **

**Chapter 14: Life Altered**

The shows couldn't have gone better and the time with Jackson couldn't have been more perfect. By the time we completed the last show on our little mini tour with 100 Monkeys, we had sold every bit of merchandise we'd had made for the shows. We'd even started a list of orders for the people who weren't able to get any of it. The compliments were unbelievable and with each show, we gained more and more fans. The website was booming with posts and there was talk about some of the people putting together a street team. I was beyond thrilled and overwhelmed with gratitude.

The guys were having the time of their lives and felt incredibly thankful to the fans they were gaining. Jerry and Chris were popular with the ladies, while Evan spent as much time as he could on the phone with Mia and Eddie spent as much time as he could on the phone with Stacy.

Stacy hadn't been able to stay due to work. She stayed for the show in Vegas and then headed home the next day. She and Eddie seemed to be doing great and I watched both Evan and Eddie like a hawk to make sure they didn't do anything stupid to ruin their relationships. Thankfully, they loved their ladies completely and I didn't have to worry about a thing.

Jackson and I spent every free moment we could together since we wouldn't be seeing each other again until I made the move to LA to live with him. I still couldn't believe that in less than a month I would be sharing a home with Jackson.

"I don't want to go," I whined as Jackson helped me carry my bags down to Evan's car. "Can't I just go with you guys? Do I really need to be there for my brother's wedding?"

Jackson laughed. "Yes you do need to be there. I'm just sorry we can't be."

"Trust me, you won't be missing much," I grumbled.

"Hey," he said and stopped to look at me. "This is your brother's wedding. You would never forgive yourself if you weren't there. Hell, _he_ wouldn't forgive you if you weren't there."

"I know," I said. "It's just been so unbelievable being with you guys and I just hate to see it end."

"It's only ending for now baby," he argued. "After Evan and Mia's wedding and we get you moved, you guys are hitting the road with us again right?"

"We're definitely going to try. I have a few meetings this week with potential sponsors." We finally reached the car. "We just can't afford the travel expenses by ourselves."

"I told you I could help."

"And I told you I'd handle it. I'm the manager. It's my job." I kissed him on the cheek and smiled.

"Jackson, man this has been incredible," Evan said, taking hold of Jackson's hand and shaking it. "Thank you."

"Thank _you_, Evan. We can't wait till you guys can get back out here with us."

Marty, Lani, Ben J, Graupner, Jerad, and Uncle were conversing with Chris, Eddie, and Jerry. They were all laughing about the various pranks that were pulled by Eddie, Graupner, Jerad, Lani, and Jerry on the rest of us unsuspecting victims. When they got tired of pulling pranks on us and turned on each other, they'd called a truce as it had been dangerously close to getting out of hand.

After we all made the rounds saying goodbye to each other, the guys got in to their cars while Jackson and I had our own private goodbye.

"I'm gonna see you soon," Jackson whispered placing his forehead against mine.

"I know," I whispered back and tried to stop myself from crying. I kept trying to remind myself how stupid I was being. We were going to be living together in just a matter of weeks.

"I love you so much," he said and kissed my lips softly.

"I love you too." My voice broke as a single tear rolled down my cheek. Jackson caught the tear before it could reach my chin and wiped it away with his fingertip.

"No tears, baby. I can't stand to see you cry."

"I'm sorry. I'm being so stupid." I laughed half-heartedly.

"No you're not." He kissed me again and then hugged me tightly against his body. "Ok, you guys need to get on the road. Call me when you get home please."

"Ok."

"And please be careful."

"Always."

He smiled and then released me sooner than I was ready for him to. I pouted to which Jackson laughed at me because I was horrible at making a pouty face. Every time I tried, I'd only succeed in making myself look ridiculous.

After one more quick kiss, I reluctantly climbed in to Evan's car and headed home.

**~o.O.o~**

"What do you mean the glasses are broken?" I asked the delivery man. "We have to serve champagne in these glasses. They _can't _be broken." I was dangerously close to having a meltdown.

I was standing in Stacy's kitchen in a robe, curlers, and little wedges in between my toes to keep from fucking up my toenail polish. We'd finally reached the big day: Evan and Mia's wedding. Stacy had graciously offered her home when the church that Mia had booked for the wedding and reception had called and said they'd double-booked, leaving Mia and Evan without a place to have their wedding. The good news was Stacy's house was big enough that we didn't even have to cut the guest list down.

"I'm sorry ma'am. I'm sure the company will give you a full refund," the delivery man said nervously.

"A refund isn't going to give everyone a champagne glass to drink the fucking champagne out of, now is it?" My voice rose in volume with each word.

"No ma'am," he said quietly.

"Just go," I huffed. "We'll figure it out. Just go."

He simply nodded quickly and then took off out of the door before I could change my mind and decide to sacrifice him to the wedding gods or something.

I hobbled over to the stairs and called for Stacy. She appeared at the top of the stairs already completely dressed in a gorgeous silk turquoise gown that just seemed to hang on her athletic frame. The color matched our bridesmaid's dresses and Mia's wedding theme of turquoise and black.

"What is it Rhiannon?"

"The glasses finally arrived," I stated. "But they're all broken."

"They're all broken?" she shrieked. "How the fuck did that happen?"

"I don't know but we're not going to get anywhere freaking out about it so think. How can we get replacement glasses in the next two hours?"

She stood and thought for a second but abandoned that train of thought in favor of annoyance at me.

"Rhi, get your ass up here and get ready. I'll handle this."

Mia was currently getting her hair and make-up done at a local salon and trusting Stacy and I to take care of everything. I couldn't stand the thoughts of anything going wrong. Evan and Mia deserved a perfect day.

"Let me help," I insisted, standing firmly in place.

"You can help by getting ready," she said and started descending the stairs.

"Stace –"

She held up her hand to silence me and motioned upstairs with her thumb. I sighed but gave in, passing her on my way up the stairs. She slapped my ass and giggled when I cussed her.

Since Stacy was going to be so busy with the preparation of the wedding, we'd decided it would be best for me to handle my own hair and make-up. She wasn't able to completely relinquish the control though, giving me pictures of what she wanted my hair to look like and a complete guide for every bit of the make-up she'd purchased and left lying out for me.

I sat down at the big vanity in Stacy's room and got to work. I began with my make-up, following the guide exactly and found myself pleasantly surprised at how great it looked when I'd finished. I then moved on to my hair, taking the curlers out and shaking the curls loose so I could style them. I took the black and rhinestone pins out of their packaging and began pinning my hair up according to the picture. When I was done with my hair, almost all of it was pulled up in the pins minus a few tendrils left to hang all around my face and neck. The last thing to do was put on my dress and shoes.

I walked over to the closet, where my dress hung on the door. I unzipped the plastic wrapping and pulled the dress out, carefully laying it out on Stacy's bed and removed my robe. I held my breath as I stepped in to the dress, hoping not to somehow catch my nail on the black mesh overlay. I then slid on my black heels and walked over to Stacy's full length mirror. I couldn't help but be proud of myself for being responsible for the finished product staring back at me.

"Ok I've got the glasses taken…care…of…Damn, Rhi!" Stacy's reflection appeared behind me and I was glad to see that she was grinning from ear to ear.

"I did ok?" I asked her, returning her smile.

"You did great! You look amazing," she gushed. "Have you sent Jackson a picture yet?"

"Not yet."

"He's gonna love it." She smiled again and then got back to business. "So Rick is currently packing up every champagne glass Boudreaux's owns and bringing them with him when he comes."

We'd become really close with Rick throughout the many shows we'd performed at Boudreaux's since last August so Evan insisted that he be invited to the wedding. He'd been thrilled to be invited and had immediately RSVP'd.

"Bless his heart," I said and turned to face Stacy. "So what else needs to be done?"

"First, send a picture to your man and then come downstairs. I'll have a list prepared for you when you get down there." With that, she headed back downstairs and left me in peace.

I walked over to the vanity and picked up my phone, took a picture, and sent it to Jackson. Less than a minute later, my phone beeped.

_You look beautiful baby! – J Action_

_Why thank you sir. – Rhiannon_

_I wish I was there. I miss you. – J Action_

_I miss you too. – Rhiannon_

_Please give Evan and Mia our best. I love you. – J Action_

_I will and I love you too baby. – Rhiannon_

I took one last look in the mirror and then went downstairs to see what tasks Stacy had in store for me.

"I'm at your service, oh slave driver," I teased as I entered the kitchen.

"Hardy-har-har," she said sarcastically. "Your list is over there." She gestured towards the dinette table that sat in the corner of her kitchen.

I walked over and picked up the list immediately beginning on the first task: placing the centerpieces on each of the round tables in the reception area.

The reception area was a very large cream colored tent that took up a good portion of Stacy's back yard. After gathering the boxes and carrying them out to the tent, I got to work. I had just finished the last centerpiece when Evan entered the tent all dressed up in his tux.

I smiled really wide when I saw him. "You clean up real nice, Evan," I told him. "Are you ready for this?"

He walked over to me and without a word just gathered me up in a hug.

"Rhi, none of this would be possible without you. Thank you."

I felt the tears pricking at my eyes. "Ok now, Stacy will kill me if I fuck up this make-up." I laughed and patted him on the back.

He laughed with me and then released me from the hug, looking around at the reception area.

"It looks great out here."

"Yeah it does. Stacy even got little heaters to set up in the corners so we don't freeze to death," I informed him.

"She's been great too. Remind me to thank her," he said and then glanced at his watch. "We have an hour to show time."

I grinned at him and said, "Go check on your groomsmen. Please make sure they're not destroying the place." I shooed him out of the tent. "Hey, have you seen mom?" I called after him.

He poked his head back in. "Yeah she's helping Stacy. Have you seen Mia?"

"No not yet but I've been out here. I'm sure she's here by now."

He nodded and then disappeared to the house. I gathered up all of the trash and tossed it in the dumpster on my way in. I headed straight for the kitchen where Stacy, mom, and one of Mia's other bridesmaid's, Layla, were flitting around straightening this and that and talking excitedly about the wedding.

"Hey is Mia here?" I asked.

"Yeah she's upstairs with her mom," Layla said with a smile. "I think they're doing that whole something borrowed, something blue thing."

"Oh! I have something for her that's blue. I guess I need to get up there," mom said. She kissed me quickly on the cheek as she passed.

"Ok, I've finished the centerpiece's so now I'm going to light all of the candles unless there's something else you need me to do," I said to Stacy.

"Nope just light the candles and then set up the guestbook on that table by the door," Stacy instructed. "And hurry up, would ya?"

I rolled my eyes and grabbed the lighter. I began in the living room, turned ceremony area, lighting the candles and made my way all the way through the downstairs to the foyer. The first guests arrived as I lit the last of the candles.

"If you'll hold on just a minute, I'll have the guestbook set up so you can sign it," I said without looking up.

"That would be great dear," a female voice answered. I was sure I knew who that voice belonged to but I was just as sure I had to be imagining it…

I looked up and sure enough, there stood Randee and Papa Rathbone.

"Randee!" I squealed and hugged her tightly.

"What about me?" Papa Rathbone asked, pouting.

"I'm sorry, Papa Rathbone," I said and hugged him as well. "It's so great to see you both! I thought you guys weren't going to be able to come."

"We wanted to surprise you and Evan," Papa Rathbone told me. He then smiled that very familiar smile and said, "You look beautiful."

I blushed and smiled back at him.

"It's great to see you too sweet heart," Randee said. "Jackson was very upset that he couldn't make it. When we told him we were coming, he said to make sure and tell you that he loves you and misses you."

I smiled and made a mental note to call Jackson as soon as I had a free moment to thank him.

Randee helped me set up the guestbook and decorations on the table by the door while Papa Rathbone supervised. They then signed the guestbook for themselves and all the rest of the guys that couldn't make it.

"So where's your mother?" Randee asked excitedly. "Ever since Jack and I made the plans to come, I've been looking forward to meeting your parents."

"My mom was upstairs just a few minutes ago. Let me see if I can find her." I took off up the stairs in search of my mother. I couldn't wait for her and Tom to meet Jackson's parents. They would see once and for all why I was so happy with Jackson. His parents raised him right.

I opened the door to the "Bridal Dressing Room" and stopped dead in my tracks. Linda was zipping up Mia's dress and as soon as I walked in, Mia looked at me through the mirror and smiled.

"Mia…" I couldn't think of the right word to describe how gorgeous she looked. Her dress was a white strapless empire bodice with an A-line skirt and chapel train. It was glamorous and fit Mia's style completely. Her hair was swept up in a mess of curls that cascaded down her back and her make-up was simple but elegant.

"Do you think Evan will like it?" she asked, smoothing out the front of her dress.

"He's going to love it," I whispered.

She smiled again and then began to step in to her shoes.

"Hey have you guys seen my mom?" I finally remembered what I was doing up there to begin with.

"She's talking to Evan, I think," Linda answered.

"Ok thanks."

I walked out of the room and headed to the "Groom's Dressing Room" and opened the door. It seemed I interrupted a private moment when I saw Evan and my mother hugging while my mom sobbed in to his shoulder.

Evan looked at me as if to say, "Help!"

I walked up to my mother and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, mom. You're gonna get mascara all over Evan's tux."

She sniffed loudly and then laughed. "I guess you're right," she said and began to wipe her tears off of his shoulder. "You look so handsome, my baby boy." Her eyes filled with fresh tears.

"Mom, don't cry," Evan said. "Please don't cry." He grabbed her hands and looked her in the eyes. "I love you, mom. You've been the best mom and role model in the world. I am able to marry this amazing woman tonight because of you. You taught me how to love her the right way and I'll never be able to thank you enough for that."

She smiled through her tears and kissed his hands as I wiped away my own tears. The emotion coursing through the room was almost suffocating so I decided to get mom out of there so that Evan could have a few moments to himself before it was time to start. I glanced at my clock and seeing that we were down to twenty minutes till show time, I took my opportunity to get her out of there.

"Mom, I need you to come downstairs with me. I have a few great people I want you to meet," I told her, grabbing hold of her hand and pulling her away from Evan.

Evan looked at me questioningly.

"Jackson's parents made it," I answered his silent question.

He smiled and turned to our mother. "Just think, mom, soon you're gonna have to do this all over again with Rhiannon and Jackson."

I shot Evan a look and he grinned.

_I'd hate to have to beat his ass on his wedding day…_

"Oh dear Lord, Evan, are you trying to kill me?" she laughed and slapped at him playfully. "Not my baby girl. Not yet." She looked at me and smiled. "It would be lovely to meet Jackson's parents."

We made our way downstairs where I rounded up Tom and took them to meet Randee and Papa Rathbone. Mom and Randee hit it off right away and even Tom and Papa Rathbone seemed to click. I couldn't help but smile really wide at the four of them acting as if they'd known each other their whole lives.

I sent Jackson a text:

_So your parents and my parents may end up adopting each other. – Rhiannon_

"Rhiannon! It's time to line up," Stacy hissed from behind me.

"Ok, I'm coming," I whispered back.

I kissed my mom on the cheek and then headed to the line to retrieve my flowers. Just as I sat my phone down on the table, it buzzed instead of beeped as I'd put it on vibrate. I snatched it up real quick and opened the text.

_I take it they like each other then? – J Action_

_I would say that's an understatement. They act like old friends! – Rhiannon_

_Baby, isn't the wedding starting? Are you texting me as you're walking down the aisle? – J Action_

_No! And yes it is starting. I'll call you after it's over. – Rhiannon_

_Ok. I love you. – J Action_

_I love you. – Rhiannon_

I managed to toss my phone back down on the table just as Chris walked towards me with his arm extended. He was my corresponding groomsmen in the wedding and I couldn't be more relieved. Chris could be goofy but he always knew when to be serious. Jerry would've done something to embarrass me and it would've been weird to walk down the aisle with Eddie seeing as how he was diddling my best friend.

He took a deep breath and smiled reassuringly at me and then we stepped through the doorway and made our way down the aisle. I glanced around the room, smiling at all the friends and family who were gathered together for this great day. I looked towards the corner where Stacy was standing wearing a big grin as she watched Chris and I walk flawlessly down the aisle. I then looked at my brother. His smile was radiant. He looked euphoric and it made my heart swell. Chris squeezed my hand and it was then that I realized there was a tear rolling down my cheek. I quickly wiped it away and once we'd reached our destination, Chris and I separated to our respective sides.

The music changed as Mia and her father appeared in the doorway. The bridal march commenced and everyone stood. I looked at Evan whose eyes were glued to where Mia stood; a look of wonderment on his face. As Mia and her father got closer and closer, Evan's eyes filled with tears but he still wore that radiant smile.

Once Mia and her father reached my brother, the pastor asked, "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?"

Phil's voice was thick with emotion as he said, "She gives herself freely with her mother's and my love and blessing." He then kissed Mia sweetly on the cheek and released her hand.

Evan and Mia took each other's hands and proceeded to pledge their love and loyalty to each other.

**~o.O.o~**

The ceremony went well and I managed to get through it with minimal tears. My mom, on the other hand, not so much. She was a complete mess but once the actual ceremony was over, she busied herself with task after task and when she wasn't doing something, she was chatting with Randee and Linda. It looked like the three of them were long-time girlfriends.

When the reception started and the excitement of the first dance was over, I stepped out of the tent and lit a cigarette, pulling out my phone to call Jackson.

"Hey there gorgeous," Jackson answered.

"Hi yourself, handsome."

"How are you?" he asked. He knew how emotional I had been about the wedding and moving. He'd caught the brunt of it a few days ago when I launched in to a full scale sob-fest. He'd been so patient as he tried to decipher what I was blubbering about. He also didn't take it personally as he knew how excited I was to be moving in with him. When I'd calmed down after my breakdown, I made sure to let him know for the millionth time how much I loved him and that I was certain I was doing the right thing.

"Baby?" Jackson's voice in my ear brought me back to the present.

"Sorry, Jackson. Was lost in my thoughts for a moment, I guess."

"Yeah? What were you thinking about?"

"The other day when I freaked out on you and how patient you were with me," I admitted.

He chuckled at the memory.

"You're so good to me, you know that?"

"Only because you're so good to me, baby girl," he said and then changed the subject. "So mom said you only cried a little but that Kathy was a wreck."

"Yeah, poor mom. She was a wreck _before_ the wedding," I told him. "I was actually very proud of myself. I didn't cry as much as I thought I would. Evan cried a little too when he saw Mia."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Jackson said. "I'll probably cry when I see you on our wedding day. Is that going to turn you off?"

I laughed. "No, but you'll be turned off when you lift my veil and see all the mascara running down my face. I'll just have to make sure it's waterproof."

"So you _are_ going to marry me," he said triumphantly.

"Of course I am. Now where's my ring dammit?" I teased.

"Soon, baby."

His words resonated through my head and my heartbeat sped. Did he mean that he would be proposing soon? And if so, what was his definition of "soon"?

"Anyway, we'll talk about that later," he said cutting in to my internal dialogue. "You probably need to go, right?"

"Yeah, I guess I do. I'll call you when I get home and maybe we can have a little fun. What do you think?"

"Oh fuck yeah," he agreed.

We hung up and I rejoined the party. For the first little bit, I picked at the food, mingled, and drank. I danced with Papa Rathbone to "Brick House" which I found hilarious and then Evan insisted I dance with him so I did. He spent the time thanking me again for all the help I'd given him and Mia with the wedding. He also thanked me for everything I'd done for the band but the tears came when he told me how special I was and how lucky he was to have such incredible women in his life. He reminded me again that I would always be his best friend.

I wasn't able to fully recover from Evan's dance before Tom asked that I dance with him. Tom surprised me by apologizing to me for doubting mine and Jackson's relationship. He said that we still had a long way to go but he could tell that we were both in it for the long haul. He choked up when he told me how much he was going to miss me when I moved, causing me to cry as well. As soon as my dance with Tom was over, I went to the bar where I proceeded to down a few shots. I had to remind myself that Jackson's parents were here to keep from continuing the shots. I danced with Stacy, Mia, mom, and Randee. Jerry pulled me out on the dance floor for "Funky Town" as he screamed every single word to it, causing me to laugh so hard I was crying.

After a few more drinks, it was time to line up for the tossing of the bouquet. I was a little more woozy then I thought I was but I still managed to stand up long enough to _not_ catch the bouquet. Mia's friend Layla caught it instead and glanced back at her boyfriend whose face went pale. Chris caught the garter and proceeded to carry it around in his mouth causing us all to laugh.

Finally it was time for the happy couple to depart to their honeymoon destination. They'd been lucky since Mia's mother was a travel agent. Linda and Phil had surprised them with a fully paid honeymoon to Hawaii. Their plane would be leaving bright and early the next morning so mom and Tom provided them with a room at the swankiest hotel in town to stay at for their first night as a married couple.

Evan hugged my mother tightly and kissed her on the cheek. He then shook Tom's hand, but Tom pulled him in for a hug.

"I'm proud of you, son," Tom said as he released Evan. "I love you."

Evan smiled big and said, "I love you too, Tom."

My mother beamed at the two of them and leaned in to Tom as Evan moved on to me.

"So be careful and all that bull shit," I muttered and averted my eyes.

He laughed and said, "I love you too, Rhi."

I smiled at him and shoved him playfully. He hugged me, kissed me on the cheek and then joined Mia in the limo the guys and I had thrown in to rent them.

I was emotionally spent and horribly exhausted. For something that only lasted a few hours, there was a lot of preparation that went in to it. After saying goodnight to the Rathbones and my parents and then spending fifteen minutes convincing Stacy that I was sober enough to drive home, I left Stacy's house and headed to my apartment.

When I got home, I took a shower, lit some candles, poured a glass of wine and called Jackson. We talked briefly about the wedding and I told him about Tom's apology. Then we got a little naughty, engaging in a fantastically hot session of phone sex. Just as we were each getting off, Graupner walked in to the room. He started yelling about being scarred for life and I couldn't help but giggle uncontrollably. Jackson was laughing hard as well and Graupner was cussing him for everything he was worth.

We hung up soon after that and I fell in to a deep sleep.

**~o.O.o~**

The weeks following Evan and Mia's wedding were hectic to say the least. I was working out my two-week notice training the new girl Linda had hired to take my place when I moved. I was also packing up my apartment and selling the things I wouldn't be taking. Then if I wasn't doing any of that, I was at meetings with the sponsors we'd gained for the band, at practice with the guys, or of course talking to Jackson.

The plan was for us to leave in the wee hours of the morning on Friday, February 12th, drive to El Paso where we would stay the night and then get up bright and early Saturday morning to make the rest of the drive to LA. Mom, Tom, Stacy, Eddie, and Evan were helping me make the journey. Eddie and Evan were going to drive the moving truck while Stacy and I rode with my parents. She joked about how it was going to feel like we were teenagers going on vacation with my parents.

The guys were sweet enough to plan a going away party for me the Thursday night before I left. There was massive amounts of alcohol, dancing, and fun. Evan and Stacy made toasts to my happiness and wished me the best of luck.

I called it a night at 11 though, knowing I needed to get a little rest before we left in the morning so I headed home. I had just pulled in to my parking spot when my phone rang.

I glanced at the caller I.D. and seeing that it was Jackson, I answered it quickly.

"Hey!"

"Hey baby." He didn't sound happy.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I made my way to the door.

"I have some bad news," he answered.

I slipped my key in the lock and turned it, pushing the door open to my almost bare apartment. We'd spent the evening loading up the moving truck. My apartment looked eerie as empty as it was.

"What kind of bad news?"

"I'm not going to be here when you get here," he said. "I have to be in New York for a few meetings but I'll be back Sunday afternoon and then I'm all yours."

"You're not going to be there when I get there?" I could feel the anger building. "Jackson, you're going to make me stay the first night by myself?"

"Can't Stacy or your mom stay with you?" I knew he was just trying to help me find a solution to the problem but for some reason it just pissed me off more.

"No, Mr. Fix It, they can't. Stacy has a job she has to get back to. She's already missing an open house on Sunday _and _not going in to work Monday," I seethed. "And mom probably wouldn't have minded if she'd known about it to begin with. Her and Tom are going to North Carolina for the week and they're leaving Tuesday."

"Baby girl, I'm so sorry. I didn't know about the meetings until this afternoon."

"So is this how it's going to be? I'm going to move in with you and _still _never see you?" I knew deep down that I was being completely unfair but I didn't care. I was upset and letting my emotions take me.

"No," he said, a hint of anger in his voice. "Why are you acting like this?"

"Because I'm fucking pissed, Jackson. I thought the whole point of me moving and leaving everyone and everything I love behind was to be with you more."

"That _is_ the point, Rhiannon," he spat. "But hey, if you don't want to move, I'm not going to make you."

"Well now I have no choice!" I yelled.

"You always have a choice. You don't want to move in with me? Fine but I need to know." He spoke calmly even though I could tell I had pissed him off pretty badly.

"You know what? I'm done with this conversation. Why don't you let me know when you can pencil me in." With that, I hung up the phone. Of course he tried calling back but I didn't answer. Instead, I pulled a few beers out of the refrigerator and stepped outside to my back patio. I left my phone inside to keep from being tempted to answer it. I needed to calm down before I spoke to him again.

After about half an hour of drinking and smoking cigarettes, my phone stopped ringing. I stayed out there another half an hour before finally deciding to head back in and call Jackson back. I was feeling horrible for the way I'd reacted and hoped he wouldn't be too mad at me. I was prepared to beg for his forgiveness if necessary.

I picked up my phone and saw that I had 24 missed calls.

_Sweet Jesus! He must've called back to back. He's gonna be pissed…_

I started to dial his number just as my phone rang. By me dialing at the time my phone was receiving a call, it answered the call without me getting a chance to look at the caller I.D.

"Hello?" I said in to the phone. The answering voice was definitely not Jackson. It was a female and she was shrieking and talking way too fast for me to be able to understand what she was saying.

"Whoa! Slow down!" I said. "Who is this? What's going on?" I was thoroughly confused and if I'm being honest, a little freaked out too. Whoever it was, definitely seemed to be upset about something.

The voice attempted to slow down and while it was still difficult to decipher, it was enough for me to make out the key words. As I realized what she was telling me, I felt like I was going to be sick. My heart sank so far that I could swear it was in my stomach. I couldn't seem to form any words; I just dropped the phone to the ground. My eyes filled with tears as my knees buckled and I fell to my hands and knees on the floor. My breathing sped and the tears fell on to the carpet below me.

_No…no…no, no, no, no, no!_

"NO!" I screamed to the empty room and began to sob uncontrollably.

…**Yeah. Pretty intense, right? Try not to hate me too much. **

**I have started a new story. The name of it is "Stay" and only Chapt. 1 is posted right now. It will be a multi-chapter fic but I will not be able to continue it until after the first of the year. Read it and let me know what you think. **

**Thank you so much for reading! Review please!**


	15. Blackbird

**I warned you guys about the angst and this is where it begins. This chapter is written in 3 different POVs. **

**A very special heartfelt thanks to: Lilaea, Starchick7003, Mindy, and Tima83. You guys are amazing!**

**Just in case anyone doesn't already know, I do not know any of the people in this story. The plot and original characters are mine and mine alone. DO NOT copy without my consent. **

**Enjoy and thanks for reading! Please review! **

**Chapter 15: Blackbird**

_I jumped down from my bed, pulling at the ruffled nightgown I hated. It always tickled the backs of my legs._

_I'd been awoken by the sounds of doors slamming and my mother's voice. I couldn't be sure but it kind of sounded like she was crying. I'd stayed in bed until all the loud noises had stopped because they scared me._

_My bare feet slid across the cold hardwood floor as I made my way to my bedroom door. I turned the doorknob, ever-so-slowly trying to make as little noise as possible. Once I heard that final pop signaling I could turn the doorknob no further, I pulled the door open._

_The first thing I saw when I opened the door was broken picture frames on the floor. I looked up at the spaces on the wall that the pictures used to hang and clutched my stuffed dog, Bastian, to my chest. I scooted around the glass to keep from cutting my feet on it and headed towards my parents' room._

_I passed Evan's door on my way but it was still closed. I thought about knocking on it but decided I'd rather not get yelled at for waking him up. _

_Finally I was just outside my parents' door. The door was open just a crack but it was enough for me to see my mom. She was sitting on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands. I tried to see if I could find my dad but the crack wasn't big enough to properly search for him. I slowly pushed the door open and looked around. I couldn't see him anywhere._

"_Mommy, where's daddy?" I asked her._

_She looked up at me, tears streaming down her face. She just looked at me for a minute before placing her head back in her hands and sobbing._

_I started to go to her and try to comfort her. I hated to see my mother cry. She cried a lot. I hadn't made it three steps inside the door when Evan appeared out of nowhere._

"_Rhi, what are you doing up?" he asked me gently and took my hand, leading me out of my parents' room and towards the stairs._

"_I heard noises," I explained._

"_You did? What kinds of noises?" We were going down the stairs, taking them step by step while Evan squeezed my hand tightly. I'd fallen down the stairs when we first moved in to this house and even though I wasn't seriously hurt, Evan had been, in my opinion, over protective with me on the stairs ever since._

"_Loud noises. I got it, Evan," I complained and tried to pull my hand from his death grip._

"_Rhi, stop it. You're gonna fall. Just hang on, we're almost there." He squeezed my hand tighter._

_We reached the bottom of the stairs and he finally let go of my hand. I wiggled my fingers and made a face at him._

"_Ouch Evan. That hurt."_

"_I'm sorry. You want some cereal? I could turn on some cartoons and you could eat in the living room." He smiled widely at me. He knew how much I loved getting to eat in the living room._

_I smiled at him in return and nodded my head frantically. He laughed and told me to go sit down and he'd bring my cereal to me._

_A few minutes later, Evan appeared from the kitchen with a bowl and a spoon. He sat them down in front of me, placing the spoon in to the bowl full of fruit loops. He then turned on the TV, flipping through the channels until he stopped on Scooby Doo. _

_I squealed and glued my eyes to the TV. Scooby Doo was my favorite!_

_When the first set of commercials came on, I turned to my big brother._

"_Why was mommy crying? And where's daddy?"_

_Evan's face looked sad for a moment. I was afraid he might cry too. Instead, he smiled at me._

"_Dad had to go out of town again," he said. "And mom just misses him when he has to go."_

"_But why were they fighting? Don't they love each other?"_

_He rolled his eyes. "Of course they do. We fight but you love me don't you?"_

"_Only 'cause I have to," I muttered and then smiled up at him._

_He just shook his head and laughed at me. "For a six year old, you sure do act like a baby," he teased. He knew I hated it when he called me a baby._

"_Well for a nine year old, you sure do act like a butt head." He looked at me for a second and then leaned over, tickling me._

_I giggled and squirmed, trying to get away from him but he was fast. By the time he finally stopped tickling me, tears were streaming down my face from laughing so hard. I was surprised I hadn't peed myself._

"_Finish your cereal and we'll get dressed and walk down to the park," he said._

"_Shouldn't we ask mommy first?" _

"_Mom won't mind," he told me, looking down. When he looked back up at me, he smiled. But the smile didn't reach his eyes. His eyes were…sad._

"_When is daddy coming home?" I asked him, my eyes never leaving his._

"_I don't know, Rhi." He sighed. "I don't know."_

**~o.O.o~**

_**Ascend; may you find no resistance  
>Know that you made such a difference<br>All you leave behind will live to the end  
>The cycle of suffering goes on<br>But memories of you stay strong  
>Someday I too will fly and find you again<strong>_

**~From "Blackbird" by Alter Bridge~**

**Stacy POV:**

I pulled up outside Rhiannon's apartment and turned my car off. I was scared shitless of what state I'd find her in. Evan was her brother; her best friend. He was her rock for so much of her life. I didn't know how she was going to be able to do it without him.

_Stop it Stacy! You have to be strong for her…she's gonna need you…_

I'd been standing next to Mia when she called Rhi. She'd swore she was calm enough to talk to her and insisted she be the one to tell her so I'd let her make the call against my better judgment. And sure enough, as soon as Rhi picked up, Mia started screaming in to the phone. Even I wasn't able to make out what she was saying and I knew what had happened. I guess Rhi had told her to slow down because Mia composed herself slightly and was able to make the important words understandable.

"He's dead. Rhiannon, Evan's dead," she'd sobbed in to the phone. She'd then slid the phone down to her side, breaking down again. I'd grabbed the phone from her hand and tried to talk to Rhi but I could only hear her crying. I'd finally thought, _Screw this, _and decided to go and check on her. After telling the nurse who was checking Eddie's vitals that I'd be back soon and to tell him that if he woke up before I made it back, I practically ran to my car and sped to Rhiannon's apartment.

Now that I was here, part of me wished I'd stayed at the hospital. I knew it was selfish of me, but I didn't know if I could deal with how broken she was going to be.

I took a deep breath and stepped out of my car. I hurried up the walkway to her door and knocked.

I waited…

…And waited…

I knocked again. "Rhi, it's Stacy," I called through the door.

Still nothing, so I reached for the doorknob to see if she had possibly left it unlocked. Luckily, she had and I pushed the door open but waited outside.

"Rhiannon, it's Stacy. Are you here?" I called again. I heard a shuffling noise and a thud. Afraid that Rhiannon was somehow hurt, I rushed inside, barely closing the front door behind me. I rounded the corner in to her kitchen and that's when I saw her. She was sitting in the floor against the cabinet doors under the sink with her legs out in front of her. Her eyes were red-rimmed and swollen; her cheeks stained with her tears.

Tears filled my own eyes as I looked down at my best friend. It was so much worse than I could've ever imagined. I think I would've preferred that she be screaming and crying instead of sitting silently on the floor with her face full of sorrow and defeat.

I crouched down in front of her, sitting Indian-style on the floor inches from her feet. We just sat that way for a few minutes, though she never once made eye contact with me. She looked like she was lost in her thoughts or perhaps memories. Regardless, she seemed to be miles away from here.

"Rhi," I said quietly after I'd had my fill of the silence.

She didn't respond at first, still lost in whatever far away land she was in. She startled me when she finally did speak.

"Stacy," she said her voice hoarse from crying. "Tell me that this is just a dream." Her voice cracked and a tear fell from her eye. "I just want to wake up now." She sucked in a breath and leaned her head back against the cabinet doors.

"I'm so sorry," I whispered. I felt helpless. Why had I even come here? There was nothing I could do for her, I knew that but it didn't stop me from trying. "What can I do, Rhi? Tell me what to do and I'll do it."

She lifted her head from the cabinet and finally looked at me. "There's nothing you can do," she said slowly.

I couldn't stand it; the pressure that I felt on my chest, the sting in my eyes, and the lump that was becoming painful in my throat from just seeing Rhiannon this way. There _had _to be something that would ease her pain…or some_one_…

"Have you called Jackson yet?" I asked, hoping the mention of his name would bring her back even if it was just slightly.

She simply shook her head in response.

"Do you want to call him?"

She shook her head again and whispered, "I can't."

"Rhiannon, he needs to know. Evan was his friend too."

She closed her eyes as fresh tears made their way down her cheeks. "Stacy, I can't…"

I wanted to reach out to her and pull her in to my arms. I wanted to tell her that everything was going to be ok. I couldn't do either, though. She'd reject the hug and the other…well it just wasn't true. Nothing was going to be ok. Not for a while, at least.

"I could call him," I offered thinking to myself that if I could just get him here, she'd be on her way to being ok. "Do you want me to do that?"

Keeping her eyes shut, she nodded and then said, "I have to lie down. I don't feel so good."

I helped her up from the floor and over to the palette she'd been using as her bed for what was supposed to be her last night in Baton Rouge.

She pulled the covers up to her chin and nuzzled her cheek in to the pillow.

"Stacy?" she asked, her face a blank mask.

"What?" I sat down on the floor next to her.

"How did it happen?" She looked as if she was fighting with herself, not really sure if she wanted to know how her brother was killed.

How was I supposed to tell her what happened? Would she blame me? Would she blame Mia? Or worse…would she blame Eddie? My throat stung with the agony that was building up.

"A car accident," I croaked, feeling the tears well up in my eyes again. "Eddie and Evan were going to get Mia and I some burgers. We were hungry…" I couldn't stop the sob that escaped my mouth.

"Eddie?" she asked, seeming completely un-phased by my confession.

"Yes, Eddie was driving but he's going to be ok." I took a deep breath as I continued, "The other car ran a red light and hit them on Evan's side." I breathed in sharply and then said, "It killed him instantly." I hoped that by her knowing he hadn't suffered, she would somehow find a little peace.

Without another word, she rolled over, facing away from me and began to cry quietly. I reached out for her, but withdrew my hand quickly. There was nothing I could do for her but there _was _someone I could call for her; someone who I hoped would be able to pick up the pieces of her broken heart and put them back together: Jackson.

Picking up Rhiannon's phone on the way, I stepped out to her back patio. As soon as the screen lit up, I saw that she had 24 missed calls. Most of them were from Jackson's number but she had a few from The Rathbone's and Jerad's numbers as well.

I hit the "Call Back" button on Jackson's number and lit a cigarette. I didn't know how I was going to tell him. I'd never given news like this before…

_Should I just say it?_

"Rhiannon, thank God," he answered. "I've been fucking worried sick. Where have you -"

"Jackson, it's Stacy," I interrupted him.

There was silence for a minute as I assumed Jackson was probably checking to make sure he wasn't losing his mind and had indeed gotten a phone call from his girlfriend's number.

"Stacy?" he asked, the confusion turning to worry. "Why are you calling me from Rhiannon's phone?" I could hear his breathing speed up. "Stacy, please tell me she's ok."

**~o.O.o~**

**Jackson POV:**

"No, she still hasn't called back," I told my mom. "I'm really worried about her."

"Don't be honey. I'm sure she's fine," mom soothed me. "She's just upset. She'll probably call you in the morning."

"But mom she's _never_ gone this long without picking up the phone. Something's wrong." I could feel the panic building up inside me.

Just as my mom started to say something, the line beeped. Praying to whatever god would listen that it was Rhiannon; I looked at the caller I.D. Relief washed over me as I saw her number on the display.

"Mom, she's beeping in. I have to go," I said quickly.

"Ok honey. Please call me and let me know that she's ok."

"Alright. Love you, mom."

"I love you too Jackson," she returned.

I quickly flashed over to Rhiannon's call.

"Rhiannon, thank God," I said. "I've been fucking worried sick. Where have you –"

"Jackson, it's Stacy."

I contemplated those words for a minute, pulling back the phone to make sure I'd actually seen Rhiannon's number.

_Am I going fucking crazy?_

I didn't know whether to be relieved or more disturbed when I saw that the number was in fact Rhiannon's and I hadn't imagined seeing it. I leaned more towards being disturbed. Something was off. I knew it.

"Stacy?" I asked. I could feel my heart hammering against my chest. "Why are you calling me from Rhiannon's phone?" When she didn't answer, my throat went dry and my breathing became erratic as my worst fear crossed my mind.

_No…no, she has to be ok. She has to be ok…_

"Stacy, please tell me she's ok." I literally held my breath as I waited for her to respond.

"She's ok," she confirmed and I sighed in relief. I started to ask her what was going on when she said, "Well physically, at least. She's not technically ok because she's really upset at the moment…" She trailed off and I heard her take a deep breath. "What I'm trying to say is she's not hurt."

I tried to process all the words she'd just rushed through, but one phrase, other than the "She's not hurt" one, stuck out in my mind.

"What do you mean by she's not technically ok?" I asked and looked up when I heard the hotel room door open. Graupner and some tall chick came walking in to the room. One look at my face and G told the girl she had to leave. As he was walking her out, Stacy finally answered my question.

"Something terrible has happened, Jackson." I heard her voice break.

_Rhiannon's ok, _I kept thinking to myself. It was the only thing that kept me from freaking out as I waited for Stacy to be able to speak again.

Graupner walked back in and sat down on the other bed facing me, his eyes questioning.

"Evan was killed tonight," she finally said, her voice thick with sadness.

My eyes went wide and my breath caught in my throat.

"What?" I whispered. I _had _to have heard her wrong. There was no fucking way she'd said what I thought she did.

"What's going on Jay?" Graupner asked in a low voice. I ignored him, waiting for Stacy to answer me.

"He and Eddie were in a car accident tonight. Eddie's going to be ok but Evan…" she trailed off again and muffled a sob. "He didn't make it."

I was shocked to say the least and honestly, I didn't know what to say so we sat there for a few minutes as I silently listened to her crying on the other end.

"Dude, seriously. You're freaking me the fuck out right now," Graupner complained.

Covering the phone up with my hand, I whispered, "Give me a fucking minute, G."

I removed my hand from the mouthpiece. "How is she?" I asked, already knowing the answer to that question. I knew how close she and Evan were. She was devastated, I was sure of it. My heart broke as I imagined her getting the news and I wasn't there to comfort her…

"Oh God, Jackson. I've never seen her like this," she cried. "She's a wreck and that's putting it lightly."

"Can I talk to her?" All I wanted was to hear her voice. I _needed_ to hear her voice.

"She's sleeping, or at least I hope she is," Stacy said. "Jackson, you need to get here. You're the only one who can get her through this." She stifled another sob. "She needs you," she whispered.

"I'll be there as soon as I can," I told her with conviction. Stacy was right, no matter how bad it hurt that I'd lost a friend, I had to be there for Rhiannon. She was the most important person in my life and I was going to do what it took to make her ok again.

After we hung up, I looked at Graupner. He looked like he was ready to beat my ass.

"I'm sorry G." I looked down at the ground, dreading having to tell him the bad news. We had all considered Evan a good friend. We'd all had some great times with him.

"Well? You wanna tell me what the fuck is going on now?"

"That was Stacy," I said quietly and swallowed hard. "On the phone, I mean."

"Ok," he said waiting for me to finish.

"Um…" I ran my fingers through my hair. I decided to just bite the bullet and say it. "Evan was killed in a car accident tonight."

Graupner jumped up from the bed. "What the fuck are you talking about Jay?" he asked. "That isn't fucking funny man."

I stood up too, pissed that he would think I'd ever joke about something like this.

"I'm not kidding," I insisted. "That's what Stacy just called to tell me. Rhiannon was too upset to…" I blinked back the tears and set my jaw. I was not going to cry.

His face transformed from pissed to realization. He grabbed fist fulls of his hair and turned away from me.

"I have to call the airport," I said, absently reaching for my phone. "I have to get there."

"Are you not going to tell the others?" Graupner asked, still not facing me. His voice sounded different. I figured that meant he was crying and that's why he wouldn't look at me.

"I really don't have time," I told him. "Rhiannon and getting to her as soon as possible is my only concern right now."

"I'll do it then." He walked out of the room without another word.

30 minutes later, my plane ticket had been booked, I'd cancelled the other one to New York, and I was packed and ready to go. There was still no sign of Graupner but I didn't have time to wait on him so I grabbed my bag off the bed and headed to the door. Just as I was about to walk out, there was a knock and I opened it to find Johnson standing there.

He looked at me for a few seconds before asking, "Where are you going?"

"The airport. I've got a flight to Louisiana in three hours."

He nodded and said, "Lani's booking our flights now. She didn't book you one though. Graupner told her you were taking care of your own." He switched his weight to the other foot awkwardly. "How is Rhiannon?"

"I didn't get to talk to her," I answered. "Stacy said she was pretty bad though." I looked down and swallowed the lump that was building in my throat.

_Keep it together. For her…keep it together._

"Tell her we'll be there soon," Johnson said and put his hand on my shoulder. "Jay, she's gonna be ok."

I blinked back the tears again and sighed. "I hope so."

Johnson gave my shoulder a reassuring squeeze and then walked back towards his room. I grabbed my bag and quickly made my way downstairs. Jerad was waiting in the lobby for me.

"How did you think you were getting to the airport?" he asked when he saw the look of surprise on my face.

I smiled, well kind of smiled, and nodded. "Thanks," I muttered as he gestured to the door.

We sat in silence the whole ride. Strangely, the silence was deafening. The thoughts were screaming inside my head and all I wanted to do was cry or hit something or both.

_Why did this happen! What the fuck kind of justice is this?_

I hated God at that moment. I'd never been a big fan anyway but now shit was personal. He was fucking with Rhiannon. He was fucking with Kathy and Tom. He was fucking with Mia.

These people were my friends…my family.

I bit the tip of my thumb and stared out of the window. Unwillingly my thoughts went to Spencer and when he died. Those thoughts just brought up more anger and anguish.

I was about ready to explode when the car pulled to a stop right outside my entrance at the airport.

"Jay," Jerad stopped me before I was completely out of the car.

"What?"

"I know you're worried about Rhiannon, we all are, but…" He looked up at me and I saw the tears filling his eyes. "Are _you_ ok?"

I looked at him like he'd lost his fucking mind. "Am _I_ ok?" I asked, getting angry. "I'm fine, Jerad. I didn't lose my brother or my son. I'm not Mia. I didn't lose the love of my life. So yeah, I'm fucking peachy compared to them."

"I didn't mean anything by the question Jay," he insisted, wiping a tear from his eye. "Evan was your friend. He was a friend to us all." He stopped and hung his head, giving in to his grief for a moment before raising his head to look at me. "You may not have lost a brother, a son, or the love of your life but you did lose a friend. It's ok to be upset about it."

"No it's not," I said quietly, swallowing hard. "I have to go." I didn't wait for him to say anything else; I just pushed the door closed and walked straight in to the airport.

**~o.O.o~**

**Rhiannon POV:**

_It killed him instantly…_

That phrase ran through my mind over and over again. This couldn't be real. This had to be a dream. There was no way Evan was really gone…was there?

The sun had just risen. It was a little past seven in the morning. I had cried all night. Stacy had left to go see Eddie after she'd talked to Jackson on the phone but came back a few hours later. She'd tried to help me as best as she could but not even knowing that Jackson was on his way could stop the tears.

I rolled over and sat up, scrubbing my face with my hands. My head hurt. My eyes hurt. My mind was a jumbled mess.

Trying to force everything from my mind, I stood up and went to the bathroom. I absently turned the water on and then the shower, stripping down and stepping inside. I stood there with my hands pressed against the shower wall, standing underneath the spray of water, letting it wash over me.

I don't know how long I stood there before the memories brought me to my knees. There was a loud noise coming from all around me and it was really starting to hurt my ears. Stacy came rushing in to the bathroom and that's when I realized the loud noise was me. I was screaming.

Stacy leaned in to the shower and wrapped a towel around me, helping me out. She sat with me on the floor of the bathroom as I cried, making shushing noises and running her fingers through my wet hair. I felt ashamed. Here I was crying in my bathroom floor when there were more important things that needed to be done.

I had to be out of my apartment by the end of the day as my landlord had already rented it out to someone else. I obviously wasn't going to Los Angeles right now which meant that I had to get a storage building to put my stuff in for now.

I had to check on Mia, Eddie, and my mom.

_Oh God! Mom…_

I immediately stopped crying and pushed myself to get up. My mom was probably a mess and I hadn't even bothered to go and see her last night. What kind of daughter was I?

I rushed around and got dressed.

"Rhi, slow down," Stacy urged, following me around helplessly.

"My mom," I said and realized that statement only made sense in my mind. I took a deep breath and finished the thought, "I need to see her."

"I talked to Tom last night. He called to check on you." Stacy dug her hands in to her pockets.

"Did he say anything about my mom?"

She just shook her head.

I finished getting dressed and walked outside. I was lighting a cigarette when I heard a car pull up next to mine. I looked up to see Jackson getting out of the car.

He didn't say a word as he made eye contact and walked straight up to me, wrapping his arms around me. I couldn't help the tears that spilled out of my eyes.

"Jackson, he's gone. Oh God, Evan's gone," I wailed. "Why? Jackson, why Evan?" I felt my knees give way and Jackson wrapped his arms tighter around me and lowered me safely to the ground, never letting go of me.

"I'm so sorry baby. I'm so sorry," he whispered in my ear as he smoothed the hair out of my face. I felt his body shaking and wondered if he was crying too.

I sat back far enough to see his face and sure enough, he was flushed and his eyes were wet from the tears that were rolling down his cheeks. He cupped my face in his hands and looked deep in to my eyes.

"I love you," he said. He leaned in and kissed my forehead as I closed my eyes.

"I love you too. Thanks for getting here so quickly," my voice quivered as more tears threatened to make themselves known.

"Hey, you are my priority." His eyes were locked on mine. "And I am so sorry if I ever made you think otherwise." He grabbed my hands and lifted them to his lips, placing feather light kisses all over them. "There's nowhere else in this world I'd rather be."

I nodded and made a move to stand. Following my cue, Jackson stood and helped me off the ground, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me as close to him as he could get me.

"I have to get to my mother. Can you drive me?"

"Of course, baby." He walked us to the other side of the car and opened the passenger door for me, helping me inside.

Stacy came out of my apartment and jogged up to Jackson. She said something to him and then gave him a quick hug, waving and blowing a kiss to me.

Jackson was quiet until we were about a mile down the road.

"Stacy said she's taking care of your apartment. She called Chris and Jerry and they're gonna help her move what was left inside in to Jerry's car and take it all to Stacy's house. She has a storage building in the back." He took hold of my hand and squeezed. "I told her that the guys will be here soon so if she needs any extra help, they'll do it."

"They're coming?" I asked trying desperately to keep my focus on the conversation at hand instead of what state I was going to find my mother in.

"Yeah, Lani called me and said they were boarding the plane in an hour. They should be here by this afternoon."

"That's really nice of them." I looked out of the window and watched all the trees whizzing by. I couldn't believe I was about to step foot in the house I'd grown up with my brother in; the house he would never again enter.

Memories flooded my mind: The first time I'd ever watched a scary movie at the age of eight. I'd had a nightmare and was scared out of my mind so Evan had slept in the floor and let me sleep in his bed…Or the time I'd snuck out to go to some stupid party when I was 14 and he'd followed me, making me come home and cussing me the whole way but he never told my mom or Tom. He kept that secret for me even though he'd been so mad at me.

The thoughts were more than I could take and I started to hyperventilate.

Jackson immediately pulled the car over and turned to face me.

"Baby, shhh. Breathe," he encouraged. "Look at me. Breathe, Rhiannon." I held his gaze and mimicked his slow breaths and within minutes, I was breathing normally again.

"Thank you," I croaked my throat dry and aching.

"Are you ok?" He searched my face looking for any signs of distress.

"Yes, I'm…ok."

His face softened and he turned back to face the road, pulling the car back on the street. After a few minutes of silence, I spoke.

"Are they ok? The guys, I mean. They were all really close to E…Evan." It hurt my heart to even say his name.

"They're upset but they're more worried about you, Kathy, and Mia."

"What about you?" I asked, turning in my seat to face him.

I saw his jaw clench and he took a deep breath, forcing a smile on to his face. "Don't worry about me baby," he answered, placing his hand on my leg.

"That's not what I asked, Jackson."

"I know that," he said slowly. "I'm fine, ok? Please don't waste your time worrying about me. Just focus on yourself and your mom."

I sighed but dropped it because we were pulling in to my parents' driveway. I reluctantly got out of the car. Jackson grabbed my hand, entwining our fingers as we walked to the door.

When we stepped inside, we caught sight of Tom coming down the stairs. As soon as he looked up and saw us, he walked quickly up to me and gathered me in his arms, squeezing me tight.

"Oh my sweet Rhiannon," he cooed causing the tears to flood my eyes again. "I'm so glad you're here."

"Me too," I whispered as he released me and stepped back to shake Jackson's hand.

"Hey Jackson." He smiled as best he could. "Thank you for coming."

"Of course, sir," Jackson returned. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

"I'm sorry for yours as well," Tom said. "Evan thought very highly of you and considered you a friend; insisted you'd be part of the family someday."

I looked at Jackson and saw the affect Tom's words were having on him. His eyes filled with tears and his chin quivered. A few tears escaped before he could completely compose himself.

"Thank you," Jackson said and looked down. "That means a lot to me."

"You mean a lot to her," Tom said gesturing to me. "Evan and I finally saw and accepted that. It means a lot to me that you'd drop everything to come and be here for her." He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. "It would mean a lot to Evan too." His voice broke and he finally broke down, holding on to the stairwell for support.

I rushed forward and wrapped my arms around Tom's waist as his body shook with the weight of his grief. We slid down to sit on the stairs.

"I'm sorry," he said between sobs. "I haven't really cried because I wanted to be strong for your mother but I just can't understand it, Rhiannon. Why Evan? Why is my son gone?" He buried his face in his hands as another wave of sorrow swept over him.

I didn't have an answer to his question. I'd asked the same one myself. All I knew was that right now I needed to be strong for Tom and the rest would have to wait until later.

"Can you go to the kitchen and get him a glass of water?" I asked Jackson as I struggled to hold myself together.

He nodded solemnly and left the room to complete the task I'd given him. When he returned with the glass of water I handed it to Tom.

"Here, drink this," I instructed and placed the glass in his hands.

He lifted it to his lips and took a few sips. It seemed to be helping him calm down so I chanced asking him the question I desperately needed to know the answer to.

"Tom, how is mom?"

He looked up at me through red-rimmed eyes and said, "Not so good, honey. I've just now gotten her and Mia to sleep."

"Mia's here?" I asked, fighting back another wave of anguish. How was I supposed to look at her knowing how much she was suffering?

"She's asleep in your brother's room and your mom is asleep in our room," he explained. "We couldn't leave her like that and make her go home to that empty house."

I nodded in agreement and looked at him. "Have you slept yet?"

He just shook his head.

"Go on up to bed," I told him. "You need to rest."

"Honey, I'm fine. You, on the other hand, look like you're about to collapse," Tom observed. "Why don't you and Jackson go lay down for a while. I'm sure he hasn't slept either."

"Tom…"

"Go on now," he insisted. "I'll wake you in a few hours."

He wouldn't listen to my protests or Jackson's and shooed us up the stairs, giving me a quick kiss on the cheek as we passed.

Jackson shut the door to my room as I collapsed on to my bed. Even though I didn't _want _to feel tired, I was exhausted and so was Jackson. He climbed in to the bed next to me and faced me, taking my hands in his.

"I've never seen Tom cry like that," I said, thinking aloud.

Jackson nodded in understanding and kissed my fingers, scooting closer to me.

I sighed as his fingertips traced my jawline and down underneath my chin. He then leaned in and kissed me softly on the lips.

"I love you," he whispered.

The sound of his voice was the last thing I remember as I gave in to sleep.

_**Let the wind carry you home  
>Blackbird fly away<br>May you never be broken again**_

_**Beyond the suffering you've known  
>I hope you find your way<br>May you never be broken again**_

**~From "Blackbird" by Alter Bridge~**

**This chapter is dedicated to the memory of my brother, Wes. He passed away on May 24****th****, 2004. He is missed every day…**

**I think this has kind of been like therapy for me. At the same time, this is crucial to the story line and where it goes from here. I sincerely hope you guys will understand why I needed to do this and not hate me for it. I'm gonna miss Evan too… **

**I will be going back to my regular posting schedule so next Sun, Chapter 16, following Sunday, 3****rd**** outtake. Thank you all for reading!**


	16. Loving Ghosts

**Thank you to all of you for the response and kind words following the events of the previous chapter. Just when I think I can't love you guys any more than I already do, y'all go and be all sweet making me love you more and more! **

**Anyway, Chapter 16…This one's a bit of a doozy. I'm anxious to hear how you guys feel about the character that finally makes their debut in this chapter after only being talked about throughout the story. And no, I'm not gonna give you a hint. You must read on to find out. **

**As always, thank yous all around to Tima83, Starchick7003, Lilaea, and Mindy! I love you ladies more than I can ever say. Also, I don't know anyone that is a real person in this story. It's just for fun and I no copyright infringement is EVER intended. **

**Thanks for reading and Enjoy!**

**~o.O.o~**

**Chapter 16: Loving Ghosts**

A few hours and horrible nightmares later, I awoke with a start wrapped in Jackson's arms. My sudden movement startled him awake as well and he rubbed his eyes, looking around the room.

"You ok baby?" he asked sleepily as he rubbed my back.

"Bad dream," I said and sat up. "Go back to sleep."

"No, I'm up." He sat up next to me. "What time is it?"

I looked over to the table at my alarm clock that sat on my nightstand. The time read 2:32 pm.

"Two-thirty."

"Oh shit! Where's my phone?" He started looking around for it and found it on the floor next to the bed.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I watched him look at his phone.

"Remember I told you the guys would be here by this afternoon?" He put the phone up to his ear as he made a call. I nodded in response to his question. "Well I guess they're here because Jerad called while we were sleeping."

As Jackson talked to Jerad I left my room and headed to the bathroom. I couldn't help but stop right in front of Evan's door. I don't know how long I had been standing there when the door opened and out stepped Mia.

She looked terrible. Her eyes were swollen and red. Her face was also red and her hair was a mess. She was wearing one of Evan's t shirts and a pair of his sweats. I looked down at her hands as she repeatedly turned her wedding ring around and around on her finger.

I knew I needed to say something, if for no other reason than to end this awkward staring contest, but I couldn't think of a thing to say. The seconds drug on and began to feel more like hours as we just stood there looking at each other.

"You look like him," she finally said. "The shape of your eyes…" She made a circular shape around her eyes with her finger and then let her arm fall limp to her side. Her observation broke my heart and we both looked down.

"Mia…I…I don't know what to say." I looked back up at her and saw the tears rolling down her cheeks. I walked up to her slowly and pulled her in for a hug. At first she kept her arms wrapped around herself and her head buried in my shoulder, then she let go of herself and put her arms around me, squeezing me so tightly it hurt. I didn't dare say anything or pull away from her though. She obviously needed to be held.

We both jumped when we felt hands on our shoulders. We looked up to see Jackson standing there. Mia sobbed loudly and threw her arms around him. He hugged her for a few moments and then released her, giving her a kiss on the top of her head.

"I'm so sorry, Mia," he told her. "I'd give anything to take this all away."

She nodded sadly and then looked at me. "Were you going to the bathroom?"

"I was but you can go first, if you want."

"Thanks," she said and disappeared in to the bathroom. I turned towards my mother's door which was still closed and wondered if she was still sleeping.

"There you are sleepy head." The sound of her voice behind us startled both Jackson and me.

I spun around to face her. She was smiling but she had all the signs of a rough night like the rest of us.

"Mom," I breathed and ran up to her, throwing my arms around her and giving in to the grief that had repeatedly been edging closer and closer to taking me over. She rubbed my hair and whispered things like, "It's ok my baby girl" and "Just let it out" and "I love you". I hated that she was the one comforting me as I felt like I should be the one to comfort her but I couldn't help it. She was my mother and I was facing something so horrible and so terrifying that I needed to hear her say those things. The more she whispered to me, the more I calmed down until finally I was able to let go of her.

"Jackson," she acknowledged him. "It's good to see you."

He stepped forward and hugged her. "You too, Kathy. I…" his voice trailed off as it looked like he was struggling to find the words.

She grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "I know honey." She wiped the tears from her eyes and took a deep breath. "Now, who's hungry?"

"Mom, you do _not _need to cook," I insisted, planting my hands on my hips.

"I'm not sweet heart," she said. "There's tons of food downstairs. People have been coming and going for the last hour and a half."

"Well you're about to have a few more guests, if that's alright," Jackson chimed in. "The guys have flown in and are waiting at the hotel to get the ok from me so that they can come over."

"Tell them to come on," she said with a half-hearted smile. "I'd love to see them and when Tom wakes up, I'm sure he'll be pleased to see them too."

"Tom's sleeping?" I asked, remembering how he broke down earlier.

Mom nodded. "I insisted he get some rest. The poor man hadn't slept at all and he's been dealing with me and Mia…Is she up?"

"Yeah, she's in the bathroom." I gestured behind me.

"Good. Have her come down and eat something too, would you?" With that, she went back downstairs.

Jackson had just finished sending a text and then looked up at me.

"Jerad wants to know if you or Kathy needs anything on their way in."

I wanted to say, "Yeah sure Jerad, if you could just invent a time machine and go back to right before Evan got in that car and tell him not to do it; that would be great!" Instead I just shook my head and went downstairs to join my mom in the kitchen.

As soon as I walked in to the kitchen, I saw covered casserole dishes, pies, and other various food products strewn all around the cabinets and bar.

"You weren't kidding about the food, were you?" I asked as I took a seat at the bar, lifting the aluminum foil off of some covered dish to see what was underneath it. It turned out to be breaded chicken tenders. I made a face and replaced the aluminum foil. Usually I loved chicken tenders but today…I just wasn't hungry.

"Help yourself honey," Mom said as she loaded more dishes in to the dishwasher. "Do you want a plate?"

"I'm not hungry," I muttered.

"Rhiannon Amelia Grey, you had better get your hiney off that stool and make yourself something to eat before I go out in the yard and get a switch to spank you with, do you understand me?" I think the speech started out firm but lost its luster as she looked at me. "You will take care of yourself, young lady. You have to…I will not lose you too." Her face crumpled in pain and she held on to the counter for support as she wept.

All of a sudden I was that little girl again; the one who couldn't stand to see her mother cry. Only this time I didn't have Evan to protect me or my mother. Now it was up to me. I rushed to my mother and pulled her in to my arms.

"Mom, please don't cry. I'll eat. I'll eat until my stomach explodes, ok?" I promised. "Just please don't cry." I held my mother as she cried. I hated that she was going through this; that any of us were. Evan was too young…he had too much going for him to just…leave us like that.

Suddenly, I was angry. I was so angry I couldn't see straight. My body began to shake and my mother pulled back to look at me.

"Rhiannon?" she asked as she took in the look on my face.

"I need to go outside, Mom," I told her in a shaky voice. "I'm sorry." She called out after me but I couldn't stop. If I stopped, I was going to break every single thing in that kitchen. I stepped out in to the yard and began pacing back and forth. I pulled out a cigarette and lit it, hoping the nicotine would help calm me down. Just as it was starting to work, a car I didn't recognize pulled in to the driveway at the same time that Jackson came out of the house to check on me.

Thinking that it was going to be my wonderful Monkey men, I started walking towards the car. I stopped abruptly as the one person I really didn't need to see right then got out of the car: My _father_.

I stood perfectly still as he walked around the car and came to stand right in front of me. Jackson had reached me as well, and took a hold of my hand. I glanced over at him and saw the look of worry on his face.

"Rhiannon," Mark (also known as my biological father) said.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked him. Jackson squeezed my hand and I looked over at him. "This is Mark, my father," I told him and then returned my cruel gaze to Mark. "Mom really doesn't need to see you right now. She's dealing with enough."

"Your mother called me, Rhiannon. She wants me here."

"Well I don't!" I yelled. "And neither would Evan." My words stung him, I could see that but I couldn't be bothered with feeling sorry for him. I wanted to hurt him. I wanted him to feel every bit of the pain I dealt with as a child; the same pain that Evan had tried so hard to shield me from. Evan had repeatedly covered for my father's bull shit to save me from the grief his actions would have caused. I eventually wised up to what was really going on and felt horrible that Evan thought it was his responsibility to save me from it.

"Rhiannon, please," Mark said, tears pooling in his eyes. "I loved your brother and I love you. I made mistakes but –"

"Mistakes?" I shrieked. "You call leaving us every time you had a new bitch to fuck a mistake?"

"Baby," Jackson said gently. "Calm down."

"No, Jackson! I will not calm down," I yelled, ripping my hand from his. "Mark, I suggest you get the hell out of here right now."

"I'm not leaving," he insisted and started to walk towards me. Jackson cut him off, though, keeping me behind him.

"Maybe you should just go inside," he told Mark. Tom was coming out of the door and jogging up to us.

When he reached us, he turned to me. "You should be ashamed of yourself Rhiannon, talking to your father this way," Tom said to me. "Regardless of how you are feeling or what has happened in the past, he is still your father and while you're under my roof, you will show him some respect. Is that clear?"

I started to say something when another car pulled in to the driveway. I sighed in relief as I saw Graupner getting out of the driver's seat. Jerad, Ben J, and Uncle Larry got out and began walking towards us. I gave one final disgusted look at Mark and jogged up to the guys. Jerad was the first to hug me, whispering how sorry he was in my ear. Ben J kissed me on the cheek and gave me a reassuring smile and then Graupner hugged me as tight as he could. When I reached Uncle, I couldn't hold in the tears any longer. He wrapped his arms around me, whispering encouragement in my ear.

"You don't worry about a thing, Miss Rhiannon," he said. "Evan is rocking with the angels now." I nodded and tried to smile. I noticed Jackson had joined us and was greeting everyone.

"Did he go inside?" I asked him, referring to Mark.

"Yeah, Tom took him inside."

"Took who inside?" Jerad asked, looking between us.

"Rhiannon's father showed up," Jackson answered. The night Jackson and I had hung out with Jerad and Graupner in Dallas the subject of my father had come up. I didn't really like talking about it so I'd given them the short version, saying that he could never seem to keep his dick in his pants and since my mother married Tom, Evan and I both had refused to see him.

I looked away and took a deep, calming breath.

"Damn, sweetie. Are you alright?" Graupner asked as he came to stand beside me.

"Honestly? No. I think if I'd had a weapon in my hand when I saw him, I could've killed him right then and there." I shook my head at the thought but as terrible as it sounded, I actually believed I could have.

Graupner draped his arm around my shoulders and led me away from the group. "We're just gonna go smoke," he called behind us.

While Jackson was undoubtedly filling the others in on the emotional state of us all, Graupner and I walked around to the back of the house, taking a seat on the swing. We each lit our cigarettes and began to smoke in silence. After a few minutes, Graupner put his arm around my shoulders again and smiled at me.

"Better?" he asked.

"A little," I admitted and managed a small smile.

"Rhiannon, I wish there was something I could do to make this easier for you." He had removed his arm and was sitting up, looking at me with sadness in his eyes. "But I know there's not. I think that's the hardest part of all of this."

He looked away and surveyed the back yard, taking in the monkey grass and the small garden my mother had started when we'd first moved in; the small playhouse she hadn't been able to part with saying that her grandkids were going to need something to play in and the tire swing we'd broken and repaired way too many times to count. Every inch of this yard reminded me of a simpler time and I desperately needed to be reminded of that time now, more than ever.

"I bet it was nice growing up here."

I smiled the first genuine smile of the day. "Yes, it was. There are so many memories," I said. My face fell and I looked at my hands. "Most were good."

Graupner looked at me with the same sadness in his eyes and I just couldn't take it anymore. I couldn't take the looks of pity, the hugs, or the words of encouragement. I was suffocating and I needed to get away for just a little while.

I startled Graupner by standing up quickly and I threw my cigarette down on the ground.

"I'm going to see Eddie," I told him. "I need to get out of here."

"Ok," Graupner said, rising to his feet. "Do you want to go alone or do you mind if we tag along? We'd like to check on him and make sure he's ok."

"I don't mind. I just need to go."

He nodded and we walked back to the front yard. Tom was outside with the guys when we came back around to the front of the house. I looked at him angrily as we approached. Jackson immediately came to my side and kissed my cheek.

"Are you ok?" he asked. The question, while innocent enough, just flew all over me.

"Would everyone please stop asking me that?" I roared, stepping away from Jackson. He looked stunned and hurt and I felt a pang of guilt in my gut but I couldn't stop myself. "Doesn't anyone understand what's happened here? My brother is dead!" The tears began to fall and I wiped them away angrily. "No, I'm not ok! I don't know when or even if I will ever be ok again. Please stop trying to make me feel better about this because I can't. I won't."

Tom walked up to me and tried to hug me but I pushed him away. "And you," I said cruelly. "You took Mark's side. You know what he put us through more than anyone else and you_ still_ took up for him?"

"He's your father, Rhiannon. I may not like him but that will never change."

"But you're my dad!" I wailed. "You're Evan's dad. Do you really think he would want him here?"

"I don't know," he said quietly. "I only want to do what's right and Evan was Mark's son no matter how much I wish he wasn't."

I sighed in exasperation. "This is such bull shit, Tom. He doesn't even have any rights to us. You adopted us, remember?"

"Rhiannon, there's nothing I can do, ok? Your mother called him. She obviously wants him here."

"Whatever," I scoffed. "I need to get out of here. Now."

I looked at Jackson and immediately softened. He still looked hurt and I hated myself.

"I'm sorry," I whispered to him. "I didn't mean to yell at you, any of you." I looked around at the rest of the people I loved and had treated like shit since they arrived. I felt horrible.

"Don't apologize, baby," Jackson said and then cleared his throat. "Where do you want to go?"

"To see Eddie." I looked at Graupner and said, "Me and G talked about it and I think we should all go see him."

Jerad, being the closest of the guys to Eddie, was enthusiastic about that plan. I apologized to Tom for yelling at him and hugged him before we left. I asked him to please tell Mom not to worry; that I'd be home soon.

We took two separate cars to the hospital. Jackson and I rode in one car, while the rest of the guys took the other.

The ride was spent in silence. I think he'd taken me literally when I'd said to stop trying to make everything ok. I was grateful, in a sense, that he had but I couldn't shake the guilt I was feeling. Jackson had sacrificed sleep, cancelled a meeting, _and_ put his life on hold to be here for me and all I could seem to do was either cry or scream at him.

By the time we made it to the hospital, I was about ready to jump out of the car while it was moving just to get away from the feelings I was drowning in. I was relieved for about half a second until I realized that I had no idea what shape Eddie was in. I didn't know anything about his injuries; I didn't even know how he would be emotionally.

Evan and Eddie had been friends the longest of the boys in the band. They'd gone to elementary school together, but didn't start really being friends until the 7th grade. I could remember Eddie coming over to the house to play with Evan just about every day. When my father would leave us for one of his many whores, my mother would take extra shifts at the hospital to keep us afloat. Unfortunately that left Evan to make sure I was fed dinner and that my homework was done. Most evenings Eddie would split the work with Evan, either making us something to eat or helping me get my homework done so that Evan wouldn't have to do it all by himself. Eddie was more than Evan's best friend; he was family.

Eddie was the reason Abolish Luck was even in existence, having brought Chris and Jerry in to our lives in he and Evan's junior year of high school. Little did they all know what they would end up getting accomplished, and now that Evan was gone, they'd never realize their full potential.

"Baby girl?" Jackson asked, waking me from my day dream. He put his hand on my leg but then withdrew it quickly. I grabbed his hand and brought it to my cheek. I leaned in to it, closed my eyes, and smiled. With my eyes still closed, I felt his lips against mine.

It was sweet at first but when he opened his mouth to deepen the kiss, I pulled away.

"I'm sorry," I said. I looked down, feeling terrible. But I was such a mess and I couldn't bring myself to have those types of feelings at the moment.

"Would you stop apologizing?" he said, grabbing my hand and kissing it. He smiled at me and squeezed my hand. His face turned solemn again as he asked, "Are you ready for this?"

"As I'm gonna be, I guess." I tried to smile but I don't think I quite succeeded. With one final deep breath, I got out of the car and headed in to the hospital.

We walked in to the waiting room and found Jerad, Ben J, and Graupner talking to Stacy. Looking to my left, I spotted Uncle Larry making himself a cup of coffee.

As soon as Stacy caught sight of me, she walked up to me and hugged me.

"How is your mom?" she asked as she backed away from me.

"She's ok, considering," I told her. "She called Mark though. He showed up, I flipped out so I decided it would be best to just get the hell out of there and come see Eddie."

I looked at Stacy. For the first time since I'd left my going away party, I _really_ looked at her. She looked so weary; so sad.

"How is he?" I asked her.

She looked away from me and bit her bottom lip. "He's…gonna be ok," she said and brought her eyes back to mine. "Physically, he has a few broken bones, some scrapes, and a concussion. Emotionally…" She couldn't hold back the sob that escaped her throat. "He's a mess."

The guys, including Uncle Larry, were gathered around us as I pulled Stacy to me and hugged her tightly. After she had composed herself she said, "He blames himself, Rhi. He won't listen to me; he just keeps saying 'What have I done' over and over."

I felt the tears stinging my eyes. When was I going to stop crying? Wasn't there a point where your body just ran out of tears?

"Can I see him?" I asked, willing myself to keep it together.

She nodded. "Chris and Jerry just left," she said. "We got all of your stuff moved. It's at my house. They were going home to shower, I think."

"Thank you for doing that. I really appreciate the help."

She smiled a sad smile and then gestured towards the hall way. "He's just down the hall; second room on the left."

"Do you want me to come with you?" Jackson asked.

"No. I think I'll be ok." I kissed him on the cheek and then headed towards Eddie's room. As soon as I reached the door, I panicked. What if seeing me made everything worse for him? What if his emotional state was more than I could bear?

I shook my head in an attempt to rid myself of all negative thoughts. Though it only worked a little bit, it was enough for me to be able to go inside.

I pulled up on the handle and pushed the door open. Eddie's eyes were closed and I was afraid he might be trying to sleep so I walked quietly inside and up to the edge of his bed.

He had a bandage covering his left eyebrow, a brace on his right wrist, and a cast on his left leg. He looked extremely beaten up and I found myself wondering just how fast the car that hit them had been going. When I looked back up to Eddie's face his eyes were open and he was just looking at me.

"Hi," I whispered and forced a smile. "How are you feeling?" I walked around the bed and took a seat next to it.

"Rhiannon…" Eddie breathed. "I'm so sorry."

"Eddie, it's ok," I assured him.

"No, it's not," he argued, shaking his head. "I killed him, Rhiannon."

"Stop that! You did not."

"Yes I did! I fucking killed my best friend!" His shoulders slumped forward and his body shook as he wept.

"Now you listen to me. You did _not_ kill my brother." I sat up and grabbed his hand as I fought to hold myself together. "That stupid son of a bitch that ran the red light and hit you guys is responsible for this. Do you understand me?"

He looked at me through his tears and sighed. "What are we gonna do without him?"

I looked away to compose myself. It was just like when Tom had broken down and wanted to know why it was Evan who was taken from us; I didn't have an answer for Eddie's question either. I had no idea what we were going to do without him. I couldn't stand to think five minutes in to the future much less be able to predict what would happen to any of us.

"I don't know, Eddie. But I do know that you can't carry this guilt especially when it's not yours to carry." I swallowed hard and then continued, "Evan is gone and there is no amount of blame to be placed that will ever change that. Just know that I don't blame you and neither does anyone else."

He nodded and wiped away his tears.

We talked for a few more minutes about his injuries. He would have to wear the brace and the cast for six to eight weeks but other than that he would have no lasting damage. I gave him a quick hug before leaving, letting him know that Jackson and the rest of the guys were here and wanted to see him.

I walked out to the waiting room and sent Jerad and Ben J in first, then excused myself to go outside and have a smoke. Jackson started to follow me outside but I asked him if he wouldn't mind letting me go alone. He didn't seem too thrilled with the idea but reluctantly agreed.

I had just stepped outside when my phone rang. I glanced at the caller I.D. and groaned.

"Hi mom," I answered unenthusiastically.

"Rhiannon? When are you coming home?"

"Soon mom; we're just visiting Eddie," I said.

There was a pause and then she said, "How is he?"

I filled her in while she patiently listened. As soon as I was done, she asked a few questions and I answered them the best I could.

"Is Mark still there?" I asked her after a few moments of silence.

"No, he left just a few minutes ago."

I was glad to hear that but I couldn't help but be angry with my mother for inviting him to our house. Did she not know how that would feel or did she just not care?

"Mom, why did you call him?"

"Rhiannon, he's your father," she said. "He may have done some terrible things but he deserved to know about Evan."

"And do you think Evan would've wanted that?" I knew it was bitchy but I just didn't care. Was I the only one that was looking out for Evan in this?

"I think he would understand why I did what I did," she answered me thoughtfully.

I thought about it for a moment. I tried to put myself in Evan's position but of course it was impossible. None of us really knew how he would've felt and none of us ever would.

"Maybe," I finally said.

"Listen honey, I am so very sorry seeing him upset you. You know I would've never done that to you on purpose. I just thought…I don't know what I thought."

I sighed. It wasn't fair of me to hold this against my mother and I could just hear Evan in my mind scolding me saying, "Stop being such a bitch, Rhi."

I smiled at the thought.

"It's ok Mom," I told her. "I'll be home soon and I promise I'll eat and we can talk, ok?"

"Ok honey. Give Eddie a hug for me and tell him that I said he better stop this nonsense about blaming himself."

"I will. I love you, Mom."

"I love you too my baby girl."

As soon as I'd hung up, I smoked my cigarette and went back inside. Uncle Larry and Stacy went in to see Eddie after Jerad and Ben J, then Graupner and Jackson after that. Graupner managed to get Eddie to laugh which made Stacy's day. Stacy and I stepped back in to see him to which he told us both to get our asses out of there so we could go get some rest. He kissed Stacy deeply and told her that he better not see her back up there for the rest of the day.

After telling Stacy I'd call her later and hugging her goodbye, Jackson, the guys, and I headed back to my parents' house.

When we got there, Mom made us all something to eat from the array of food we'd received. Although I wasn't the least bit hungry, I ate as much as I could stomach, which didn't turn out to be much.

"Mom, where's Mia?" I asked as I pushed my still half full plate of food away from me.

"She's gone with her mother to her and Evan's house to pick out something for Evan to be buried in," she answered as she poked at her own food. "The funeral home called and said they needed it by the end of the day."

I looked down.

_Something for Evan to be buried in…_

The phrase didn't sound right. It didn't feel right.

I cleared my throat and swallowed hard. I felt like I was going to be sick.

"I need some air," I announced as I stood. "I'm gonna go smoke."

Mom and Tom looked at me but didn't object. Jerad, Ben J, and Uncle Larry stayed inside with my parents as Graupner and Jackson joined me outside.

We were quiet as we smoked. I don't think any of us really knew what to say to the other.

"I guess I should get some rest," I said after I'd thrown my cigarette down. "The next few days are gonna be hell."

Graupner nodded solemnly and muttered something about getting everyone out of our hair.

While he went inside I took the opportunity to talk to Jackson alone for a few minutes. There was something I needed to tell him.

"Jackson, I want you to go stay with the guys at the hotel." I looked up at him and there was that look of hurt again mixed with a little confusion and maybe a tiny hint of anger.

"Why?" he asked.

"Because shit's gonna get insane around here and I don't want you to see me like that. You shouldn't have to deal with it."

"Baby girl, I _want _to deal with it. I want to be here for you," he insisted. "Why won't you let me help you?"

"There's nothing you can do, Jackson!" I yelled. "And you're suffocating me." I turned away from him to keep from having to see how my words had affected him.

He didn't say anything at first so I turned my head to look over my shoulder at him. He was looking down at the ground. I turned back around to face him while he ran his fingers through his hair.

"I'm sorry," he finally whispered. "I didn't mean to suffocate you. I just wanted to…" He trailed off as his eyes met mine.

"I know you want to help," I broke in. "But this isn't about you. I'm telling you that I don't want your help right now."

"Do you really think that I can just leave you like this?"

"I don't care what you can do, Jackson. I'm telling you what I need you to do," I stood right in front of him, boring my eyes in to his. "You really want to help? This is what you can do. Leave me alone."

He looked like he was about to argue it further when suddenly his face softened and he nodded slowly.

"I'll go if that's what you want. I'll give you as much space as you need but I'm not going anywhere, Rhiannon. I love you and I won't let you push me away."

I sighed and walked up to him, wrapping my arms around him. Everyone had made it outside by that time, so I kissed him quickly on the cheek and then hugged the rest of the guys goodbye.

As I walked back in to my house, I realized that for me, this wouldn't be over for a while, at least. This meant that for a while, I wouldn't be able to leave Baton Rouge or be the girlfriend Jackson needed. Could I really hold on to him for my own selfish desires or would I be able to do what was right?

More importantly, what _was_ right anymore?

**Please review! Posting next Sunday as well as the next outtake will be my story I donated for Fandom Against Famine. It's a Jasper/Bella story. Dark, violent, mysterious…Can't wait to get it posted! Once I do, I'll notify you guys in the outtake's A/N. Mwah! **


	17. The Fallout

**I hope you all had an amazing Christmas (or whatever you celebrate)! Yes, this is a little late (ok a lot…) but I hope it is well worth the wait.**

**My never-ending love and gratitude goes to Lilaea and Mindy! These ladies have stuck by me and continue to amaze me with their ideas and praise. **

****I don't know Jackson or any of the other real characters in this story. No copyright infringement is EVER intended. I do however own this story and all of its original characters. Please do not copy or post without the express consent of the author, aka, Me. Please and thank you.**

**Enjoy!**

**~o.O.o~**

**Chapter 17: The Fallout**

"Rhiannon, you can do this," Evan said as he stood behind me. The wind whipped around my hair and the spray of the ocean dampened the tendrils to the point that they were sticking to my face and neck. I was standing on the edge of a cliff. I could only hear the ocean; I couldn't see it. Though the sky was a beautiful blue, underneath me I could see nothing but pitch black.

"Evan, I'm scared," I whimpered, grabbing his arm and squeezing it tight. "Can't you come with me?"

"You know I can't, Rhi. I wish I could," he said sadly. "But you have to do this on your own now."

"I can't!" I cried. "I don't know how."

He spun me around to face him. "Yes you do. Don't give me that shit," he placed his hands on either side of my face. "You know what you have to do, so do it."

I threw my arms around him, unwilling to let him go. As long as he was there, I could never take that plunge. I could never leap in to the unknown.

Suddenly, I was holding on to thin air. Evan was gone and nothing stood in his place. I stumbled forward and fell flat on my face. I scrambled to get back up and immediately ran in the opposite direction of the cliff.

"Evan!" I yelled. I called his name over and over as I ran across the field behind the cliff and in to the woods. The further I went in to the woods, the harder it was to get through. There were fallen branches; some with sharp pointed ends that tore in to my flesh. The tears were streaming down my face as I realized soon I wouldn't be able to go any further and I still couldn't find him.

I collapsed on to my knees, wrapping my arms around myself as I wept.

"Evan, please…don't go," I begged. "Please."

~o.O.o~

I woke with a start, my eyes wet from crying. I looked around the room and for a moment was confused about where I was. It took me a minute but I remembered I was staying in the guest room at Stacy's.

I'd more or less moved in with her after the funeral.

_The funeral…_

It had been only a few weeks but it felt like a lifetime ago.

It had gone off without a hitch. Mia was too drugged up to have the meltdown I feared she would. Chris and Stacy spoke about Evan's life and how much he had meant to us and a few songs were played that the guys in Abolish Luck picked out, including a beautiful song by the band Alter Bridge entitled, "In Loving Memory".

Surprisingly, Mom had only broken down when we were saying our goodbyes to Evan's lifeless body before the actual funeral. For the ceremony itself, she'd been oddly calm. Tom had held on to my mother's hand for dear life but remained calm as well. I'd also kept my emotions in check for the most part, only crying when the songs had played and later at the cemetery when they lowered Evan's casket in to the ground. I'd made a mad dash for the car after that.

The gathering at my parent's house afterwards was awkward, to say the least. I wanted to scream every single time someone came by or stopped me in the hallway to tell me how sorry they were for my loss. People can say the dumbest things in that situation. Just when I thought I was going to lose it on some lady who told me that we should actually be happy that Evan was gone, I was rescued by Jackson who took me out in to the back yard to join him and the rest of the Monkeys. The remaining members of Abolish Luck were also out there with a cooler full of beer. We drank and attempted to act normal. Our little party got crowded when my father came out to where we were.

Mark had been at the funeral and made it a point to seek me out. After he unintentionally ran everyone off, we'd sat outside for almost an hour just talking. I guess we kind of made peace with each other even though I made sure he knew exactly how much he'd hurt me and Evan and how that pain had never really gone away.

"_I never intended to hurt you or Evan. I was selfish, restless, and unhappy but it never meant that I didn't love you and your brother," he said as he watched me light yet another cigarette. It had probably been my fourth one since we'd begun our talk._

"_It might've been nice for you to have sat us down and told us that, Mark." I looked at him as he nodded._

"_I handled the situation all wrong and I am very sorry. I wanted to apologize to you both eventually." He looked at the ground under our feet. "I was just so ashamed and nervous that you and Evan hated me. I just kept putting it off because I guess I always thought I'd have more time."_

_We sat there in silence for a few minutes. As much as I knew it would probably hurt him, I had to speak my peace, so I took a deep breath and turned to face my father._

"_We all thought we'd have more time with Evan and we should've been right but..." I trailed off as the tears pricked at my eyes. I set my jaw and forced myself to continue. "Look, I'm not promising anything because I honestly don't know if I can get past all that you put us through but I'm willing to try." His face lit up as he processed what I was telling him. "But you should know one thing first. You are my father but Tom…Tom is my dad. I love him very much and owe a lot to him. He didn't have to take us in and give us his last name but he did. More than that, he actually _wanted_ to. He _wanted_ us when you didn't."_

"_I always wanted you and your brother, Rhiannon," Mark argued quietly._

"_Well we didn't feel like you did, Mark."_

_Again, he nodded in understanding. There was another minute or so of silence before he spoke again._

"_Thank you, Rhiannon. You have given me more than I deserve and I'm very proud of the woman you have grown up to be. I guess I have your mother and Tom to thank for that."_

_I smiled sadly and said, "You also have Evan to thank for it. I don't know where I'd be today if he hadn't been there for me."_

He'd wiped the tears from my eyes and hugged me tight. It was strange, but calming.

I'd stayed out there with him for a bit longer, discussing what had been going on in my life. He'd wanted to know everything but I shied away from the conversation about me and Jackson. I didn't know what to say about it. I was still trying to decide what I should do about our relationship.

Jackson had tried to talk me in to allowing him to stay for a few more days after the funeral but I'd insisted that he needed to get back to his life. After a huge fight, he finally agreed, claiming he didn't seem to have a choice in the matter. He'd been very careful not to bring up the move. I figured it was his attempt at keeping the arguing down to a minimum. Unfortunately for him, I was an angry bitch and found something to argue about anyway.

I was treating him horribly and I couldn't figure out why. I didn't know if it was my way of trying to distance myself from him, having subconsciously made a decision about our relationship or if I was just lashing out due to my grief. Maybe it was a little bit of both but in the last 15 days, we'd talked maybe 8 times and 5 out of the 8 we were fighting about something. The only time we seemed to be civil was when we were texting.

Thankfully 100 Monkeys would be hitting the road again soon and he would be incredibly busy, hopefully giving me some more time to get my shit together and figure out what the fuck I was going to do.

I laid in the bed, visiting that all too familiar train of thought. I still loved Jackson just as much as I ever had; that wasn't the problem. I felt as if I was being incredibly unfair to him, keeping him in this relationship. I was seriously fucked up emotionally. I couldn't even give him a real kiss when he left for the airport. It just felt like I was going through the motions. Then there was the fact that I wouldn't be able to move out to L.A. and in with him for a while, if ever. How would that be fair to him?

Even though all those very real dilemmas were in the forefront of my mind, I couldn't help but hope. I hoped that I would magically get over the loss of my brother and be able to be my old self again. I hoped that I would be able to stand moving more than just a few miles away from my Mom and Tom. I held on to that hope like my life depended on it but the more we fought, the further apart we grew; and the further apart we grew, the more that hope diminished.

"Rhi?" Stacy called through the door, startling me out of my thoughts. "Are you awake?"

"Yeah, come in, Stace."

She slowly opened the door and stood awkwardly in the door way. I waved her in and sat up in the bed. She slowly walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Eddie has another doctor's appointment in an hour and then I have a few houses to show," she informed me as she absently pulled at a loose string on the comforter. "Would you mind running a few errands for me while I'm out?" She looked up at me and then quickly said, "I wouldn't ask you but I just have so much going on today and I could use some help, if you're ok with it."

I smiled as best I could and agreed to do whatever she needed me to. She sighed in relief and informed me she'd leave me a list in the kitchen, thanking me for my help.

As she reached the door, she stopped and turned around.

"You were screaming again," she said quietly.

"Was I?" Now it was my turn to pick at the string and avoid her gaze.

"Rhiannon, I think you should talk to someone."

I looked up at her, enraged.

"I don't need a fucking shrink, Stacy. I'm grieving, not crazy."

"I didn't say you were crazy," she argued. "I just thought it would help. I'm sorry I said anything." She walked out of the room calling over her shoulder that she'd see me later.

I felt bad for snapping at Stacy but fuck! I may be dealing with a lot of crazy emotions but that's to be expected when you've lost someone…isn't it?

I continued to think about it as I showered and got dressed. My mind felt as if it was going to explode by the time I made it downstairs and in to the kitchen.

I poured myself some coffee but dumped the liquid down the drain when I couldn't make it taste right.

I made myself a bowl of cereal but didn't end up finishing it because I had convinced myself that it tasted funny like maybe the milk was bad or the cereal was stale.

I gave up on trying to act normal and instead, took a big gulp from the bottle of vodka Stacy kept in the freezer. The liquid burned as it made its way down my throat and in to my stomach. It wasn't enough for me to get drunk off of, only enough to take the edge off and make me feel all warm and fuzzy, so I grabbed the list off the counter and my keys and headed out to run the errands.

The first thing on the list was to deposit her check in to the bank. Once that was done, there was a list of things she needed from the grocery store. After all of those items were picked up, along with some wine and another bottle of vodka for me, the last thing on the list was to stop by the company Stacy had her car insurance with and pay her bill.

I didn't even realize that the strip mall I was pulling in to was the same strip mall that Gulf South Travel was in until I pulled up right outside of it.

I looked inside and watched the girl who'd taken my place working on various tasks. My breath caught in my throat when I saw Linda step out from the back with Mia right behind her.

Mia looked terrible and it broke my heart.

Against my better judgment I parked and got out, walking straight up to the door of the travel agency I'd worked at. I opened the door and was immediately attacked by Mia. She gripped me in a tight hug, saying nothing.

When I was afraid my ribs might begin to break, I gently broke myself away from her. Linda stepped up to me and hugged me next.

"Where are you guys off to?" I asked lightly.

Linda brushed the hair out of Mia's face and said, "Mia hasn't been feeling well for the last few days, so I'm taking her to the doctor."

I looked at Mia. Other than her hopelessly sad brown eyes, she seemed to be fine.

"I've been having some stomach problems," she explained. "I can't seem to keep much of anything down. Mom thinks it's the stress of losing Evan…" She looked away as her eyes filled with tears.

"I just think that the doctor can give her something for the nausea. She's losing weight and it's not good for her," Linda broke in.

I nodded in understanding and asked them to please call me and let me know how it went at the doctor. After hugging them each one more time and promising to have lunch with them sometime soon, I left and walked over to the insurance agency to pay Stacy's bill.

I was enjoying being out of the house so much I decided to take a drive. I don't know how it happened but I ended up at Eddie's house. Chris and Jerry were renting it since Eddie pretty much lived with Stacy.

I knocked on the door and a scruffy-looking Jerry answered.

"Hey Boss Lady," Jerry said. His usual condescending smile was replaced with a weak attempt at one. His eyes were red-rimmed and there were dark circles underneath.

I laughed half-heartedly and asked to come in. He stepped out of the way and followed me in to the living room.

So much had changed already.

The instruments had been taken down and were replaced by more furniture including a big screen TV and a recliner. There were framed posters hung up on the wall and beer cans everywhere.

"Sorry for the mess," Jerry muttered as he began to pick up the empty cans and throw them in the trash.

"Leave it," I insisted. "As a matter of fact, what do you say we add to this mess?"

He stopped and looked at me questioningly.

"Well I have some wine and a bottle of vodka in the car." I gestured outside. "I would be more than willing to share if you'd let me store a few of the refrigerated things I had to get for Stacy in your refrigerator."

He smiled wide. "Rhiannon, it's like two o'clock in the afternoon."

"So?" I challenged him. "What is it Evan used to say? It's five o'clock somewhere? Or something like that."

A flash of pain showed in Jerry's eyes before he composed himself and smiled again.

"Alright then, we've got a party."

When I went to get the alcohol out of the car, I noticed I'd left my phone in the passenger seat and had a missed call and a text message.

I groaned as I saw Jackson's number at the top of the missed call list. I opened the text.

_Hey call me when you can. – Jackson_

I groaned again and decided to just ignore it. I'd call him when I got back to Stacy's. I really didn't feel like arguing again.

I slid my phone in my pocket and went back in to the house, sitting at the kitchen table as a freshly-showered Chris joined me and Jerry.

"Hey Rhiannon," Chris said as he took a seat, eyeing the alcohol I was pouring in to shot glasses. "Are we drinking?"

He looked at me disapprovingly but shrugged and took a shot glass.

"Vodka?" he asked, making a face.

"Dude, if you're gonna be a little bitch, you can go hang out elsewhere," Jerry said.

"Fuck you, Jerry. I'm not a little bitch, you are," Chris countered, shoving Jerry hard.

I couldn't help but smile. I had missed this; their constant bickering and immaturity. In this moment, I felt like I was exactly where I needed to be. I'd been cooped up in the house for so long, arguing with Jackson, arguing with Stacy, dreaming of Evan and waking up screaming…I needed to just have some time to not give a fuck about anything.

Chris and Jerry continued their play fight until Jerry got Chris in a headlock and Chris tapped Jerry's arm, signaling his surrender.

"See? A little bitch," Jerry laughed breathlessly.

"Fucking prick," Chris muttered but sat back down in his seat.

We proceeded to get shit faced and talk about Evan. It was painful but kind of therapeutic at the same time.

By 5 o'clock we were so wasted we couldn't even carry on a conversation anymore. We just sat in the living room and watched some show on the Discovery Channel about marine biology even though none of us had a clue what was going on.

"Hey Rhi?" Chris asked, not bothering to look at me from his seat in the recliner.

"What?"

"Your phone has been ringing non-stop for like the last 30 minutes," he said slowly. "You think at some point you might want to answer that?"

"Nope," I answered, popping the "p". That was apparently hilarious and all three of us busted out in to a round of loud and obnoxious laughter.

My phone going off yet again stopped our laughter and I got up and stumbled to my phone.

Of course it was Jackson.

"Hey," I answered, not bothering to hide my intoxication or annoyance.

"Rhiannon? Where the hell have you been?" he asked, an edge of anger to his voice.

I got defensive immediately.

"What the fuck does it matter?" I was pretty sure I'd slurred that sentence pretty badly.

He was quiet for a few seconds.

"Are you drunk?" he finally asked.

I laughed. I didn't know what else to do.

"You are, aren't you?"

"Jackson, what do you want because I really don't feel like arguing right now," I told him.

"You're drunk in the middle of the fucking day."

I sighed loudly in to the phone, hoping he'd get the hint and just let me go.

Unfortunately, he didn't.

"I've been trying to call you for hours. Where have you been?"

"Nowhere," I snapped. "My phone was in the car. I'm just now seeing that you've called."

"You're lying," he said quickly. "You're such a bad liar, Rhiannon."

I couldn't argue with that. I _was_ lying and I _was_ really bad at it. I just stayed silent.

He sighed. "Where are you?"

"At Chris and Jerry's."

"Are they drunk too?" Jackson's voice was rising and I didn't like it. Who the hell did he think he was?

"And again, what the fuck does it matter?" I asked, my own anger apparent in my response.

"It matters because I've been fucking worried sick about you!" he roared, finally losing his composure. "You couldn't be bothered to pick up the fucking phone?"

"Fuck you, Jackson. You don't fucking own me," I yelled back at him.

"I never said that Rhiannon! Jesus fucking Christ! Why can't you just talk to me?"

"Because I don't want to," I spit. "I'm having fun. I'll call you when I feel like getting bitched at."

There was silence on the other end and I immediately felt like the worst person on the planet.

"Rhiannon…" he whispered. I could hear the pain in his voice. My eyes filled with tears. I hated what I was doing to him. I hated myself for doing it to him.

"Listen, I'm sorry ok? I'll call you later," I said.

"I love you," he said quietly. "Please be careful. Can you call someone to come get you?"

I decided not to get smart with him and just agreed. I told him I loved him and hung up.

I didn't have a chance to call Stacy, because she called me first. After bitching me out relentlessly for being drunk, she agreed to come get me.

We were in the car and away from the guys when she finally spoke.

"What the fuck is going on with you, Rhi?"

"Nothing," I answered.

"Bull shit!" she yelled. She pulled over on the side of the road and turned the car off.

"What the fuck, Stacy?"

"You're gonna fucking talk to me," she said, turning in her seat to face me.

"What is there to say?" I asked her.

"Well for starters you can tell me why the hell you're drunk at six o'clock on a Wednesday evening."

"Because I wanted to have some fucking fun. Why is it such a big deal?"

"It's a big deal because this isn't like you, Rhi," she said. "You're pushing everyone you're supposed to care about away. Even your Mom hasn't heard from you in days." She looked at me harshly before continuing. "I get that you're hurting, Rhiannon. I really do and I wish to God there was something I could do to make this easier for you but I can't. The only thing I can do is try to be here for you in any way I can. You wanna get drunk? Fine, we'll get drunk this weekend. You wanna scream yourself awake every day? Fine, go ahead but don't sit there and tell me you have nothing to say when I can see your pain eating away at you." She looked me straight in the eyes and pleaded, "Don't shut me out."

I looked away from her as the tears began to flood my eyes. I couldn't take this shit. I didn't want to talk. Not to her, not to my Mom, not to Jackson. I was locked up safe inside my head. If I let it all out, they'd have to institutionalize me. The anger, the fear, the resentment…it was all too much. So what if I wanted to get drunk? So what if I had nightmares every night? It was my way of dealing. Couldn't they just let me be and let me deal?

I remained silent, looking out the window and wiping a traitorous tear from my cheek. I was tired of being vulnerable. The only way I was going to make it through this was to be strong.

"I'm sorry," I finally said. "It won't happen again. I'll get my shit together, I promise."

She sighed heavily but turned back to the front and started the car.

I spent the ride thinking. I thought about everything. I thought about my Mom and how I needed to spend more time with her. I thought about Stacy and how I needed to be more grateful to her for all that she'd done for me and put up with from me. But mostly, I thought about Jackson and how I was repeatedly breaking his heart.

It was during that drive back to Stacy's that I finally decided what I had to do. There was no getting around it. There was no changing my mind. He deserved more than I was able to give him. He deserved to have the chance to seek that out.

I had to let him go.

The thought broke my heart in ways that I never thought it could be broken. Being without Jackson…well, it seemed unfathomable but I had convinced myself that it was the right course of action. I wasn't doing him any good in this state and I doubted it would be changing anytime soon.

I sat at the bar and watched Stacy as she made a salad to go with the pork chops she was baking for dinner. Eddie was in the living room watching some stupid sitcom. I leaned in and caught Stacy's eye.

"I'm gonna break up with Jackson," I told her.

She stopped chopping the tomato and looked at me like I had three heads or something.

"What?"

"I have to, Stace," I insisted. "All I ever do is hurt him and he deserves more than that. He deserves more than me."

"Rhiannon, you can't do this," she said as she sat the knife down on the cutting board. "He loves you and you love him. The rest can be worked out. You just have to give it time."

I shook my head as the tears began to roll down my cheeks. "I can't keep doing this to him," I whispered. "Trust me, the thought of losing him takes the breath right out of me but I can't be selfish anymore."

Stacy tried her best to convince me not to break up with him but I was decided and she knew it. She cried and I couldn't be in the kitchen anymore so I left and went upstairs.

When I got to "my" room, I closed the door and pulled my phone out of my pocket. I sat on the bed and stared at Jackson's number until I went cross eyed.

I finally hit the "Call" button and put the phone to my ear. I know this is going to sound dramatic but as soon as he answered and his voice filled up my ear, I could swear I actually felt my heart breaking.

"Hey baby," he answered.

"Hi," I said, my voice betraying my emotional state.

"Rhiannon, are you crying?" He sounded concerned and it caused a pain to rise in my chest like I'd never felt before.

"Jackson, we need to talk," I said trying my best to keep my composure.

"Ok." He was guarded, I could tell.

I took a deep breath and tried to push all of the emotion down. There would be crying, a lot of it, but I didn't want to do that right now. I needed to get through this and then fall apart later.

"I don't…" I began but my mouth suddenly went dry. I swallowed loudly and then tried again. "I don't think we…"

I heard his breath catch as he processed what I was trying unsuccessfully to say.

"I don't think we should see each other anymore." When it finally came out, it came out all weak and breathy. I wasn't going to have to repeat myself though.

"Are you breaking up with me?"

A few tears spilled from my eyes as I whispered, "Yes."

He was quick to speak.

"No."

I was abruptly confused.

"What do you mean no?"

"I'm not gonna let you do this, Rhiannon."

"Jackson please don't make this any harder than it is," I pleaded.

"Harder?" Now he sounded pissed. "You're the one who's trying to break up with me."

"And it isn't easy!" I sobbed. "I love you and I don't want to lose you."

"Then don't Rhiannon," he said his voice softening. "Don't do this."

"I don't have a choice. All I ever do is hurt you and I can't do it anymore."

"And this is the answer?" he shot back. "Breaking up with me isn't going to make your pain go away. You have to deal with it."

"I'm trying, Jackson!" I yelled, frustrated.

"No, you're hiding," he argued. "You're avoiding it and it's not going to get any easier if you keep it up."

I couldn't deny the truth in his words but at the same time, I knew that I couldn't do that while worrying about whether or not I was hurting him. It was obvious that I couldn't keep going the way I was but I felt like this was something I needed to do on my own.

"You're right," I agreed. "I am hiding and I know that I have to stop." I lay back on the bed and closed my eyes. "Jackson, I love you. That hasn't changed and it never will. I just think it's best if we at least take a break from our relationship for a while. I need to get my life back on track and I promise I will but it's going to take time."

"I know," he said, his voice shaking. "And I think you're right about the break…I think it probably would be best." His voice broke on the last word and just as if it was linked directly to my heart, it felt as if it ripped a little more. "It doesn't mean I have to like it, though." He was attempting to make his voice lighter but it wasn't going too well for him.

"I don't like it either. As a matter of fact, I hate it." I was crying again and all I wanted to do was take everything I'd said back. I wanted to go back to before Evan died so badly I couldn't stand it. Hadn't I lost enough? Why did I have to lose Jackson too?

"Just so you know, I'm gonna wait for you," he said suddenly, his voice stronger and full of conviction. "I don't care how long it takes. I love you and there will never be anyone else for me."

I couldn't hold back the sob that escaped my lips. He'd said exactly what I wanted so badly to hear him say but knew that it was selfish of me to want that. I didn't have it in me to argue it though so I just let it go and hoped that if the break turned in to a permanent thing, he'd be able to find someone to love him as much as he deserved.

We agreed that we wouldn't talk for a while as we both needed time. He made sure to let me know that the ball was in my court and when I was ready all I had to do was say the word. Before we hung up, he told me again how much he loved me. I told him I loved him too and to be careful and have fun on the road. With that, the conversation was over and I was met with the dial tone. Never had I hated a sound so much in my life.

When I sat the phone down beside me, I let the emotional weight finally fall on my shoulders and I wept for hours. I just kept reminding myself that what I did was best. Unfortunately, it didn't stop the tears. For the millionth time in almost three weeks, I cried myself to sleep seeing no end to the pain in sight.

**I know, I know, I'm terrible! *Hides***

**I will be posting 3 outtakes this weekend to make up for lost time. Make sure you check it out! Yes? **

**Review please!**


	18. WaitWhat?

**Here we are…Sorry for the delay. **

**There are only two chapters left and then the epilogue! I really hope you've all enjoyed this story. I'm gonna be sad to see it end…**

**A big thank you to Lilaea and Mindy! These ladies have been amazing and deserve a lot of credit for what they put up with from me. **

**And another huge thank you to all of you who are reading this story. Your continued support has meant the world to me. I adore you all!**

**Chapter 18: Wait…What?**

"Just call him already, dammit!" Stacy huffed as we sat in her living room playing Scrabble and drinking wine.

"Why do_ I_ have to call him?" I whined.

It had been almost eight weeks since Jackson and I had decided to take a break. We'd spoken on the phone a few times but other than that, we'd had no contact with each other.

I'd gotten a tearful phone call from Graupner the day after all of the shit went down begging me to reconsider. I explained yet again how hard things were for me and that I wasn't doing anyone any good in my emotional state. We'd talked for quite some time and he'd scolded me for drinking too much and not seeing my mother.

I'd been in a pretty bad place for the first few days after the split, but was abruptly pulled out of my wallowing when we'd received the news that Mia's stomach troubles were due to the fact that she was seven weeks pregnant. It was great and horrible news all at the same time. Even though it broke our hearts that Evan would never see their child, we were indescribably happy that there was a part of him that would live on.

I'd immediately made an appointment with a psychiatrist to help get my ass back on track. Six weeks of sessions and a prescription for happy pills later, I was beginning to feel a little better. As a matter of fact, I was starting to believe that I might actually be able to get back to my old self. I owed that much to my future niece or nephew…and to Evan.

Now that Mia was 15 weeks pregnant, we were only a mere five weeks away from finding out the gender and I couldn't wait. I was ready to go shopping! Stacy had laughed at me saying that she couldn't believe how excited I was to go shopping for the baby seeing as how much I hated shopping. I reminded her that I hated shopping for myself, not for others.

The good news kept on coming when Eddie proposed to Stacy a few days after we'd found out about Mia's pregnancy. She'd immediately accepted and we began to plan their engagement party. Stacy made the guest list without me and conveniently invited Jackson and the guys.

The party was scheduled for the middle of May and it just so happened to be a weekend the guys had off so we were sitting in the gigantic living room of Stacy's house arguing over who was going to make the call to invite them.

Stacy thought I should.

I felt like I might throw up.

"You need to tell him how well you're doing with the psychiatrist and shit anyway," Stacy pressed. "You can extend the invitation while you're at it." She smiled and shrugged, making it seem like the easiest damn thing in the world for me to call my sort of ex-boyfriend who was a gorgeous actor and musician, who I'd stupidly let go and who I missed more and more with each passing day…

"I can't!" I cried and hid my face in one of the throw pillows Stacy had on her couch.

_Can I just disappear?_

"Oh whatever Rhiannon," she laughed. "You know you want to call him. Just do it."

"Just do it?" I looked at my friend like she'd lost her mind. "You know it's not that easy, Stace."

"It is _always_ that easy," she argued, downing the rest of her wine. "I'm going to get a refill so I can leave you to it." She got off the couch and tossed my phone in to my lap. "Let me know how it goes," she called as she disappeared in to the kitchen.

All of a sudden I began to panic. I hadn't spoken to Jackson in over three weeks.

My heart began to pound in my chest as I scrolled down the list of contacts in my phone and selected Jackson's number. My hands shook as I hit the "Call" button and placed the phone to my ear.

It only rang twice when the sexiest Southern accent sounded in my ear.

"Hello?"

"Jackson? It's Rhiannon."

Silence.

"Hello?" I was afraid he'd hung up on me.

"Hey, yeah I'm sorry. I'm here," he stuttered and then laughed. The sound melted my heart and made me painfully yearn for him.

"Oh. You went quiet on me," I said and laughed nervously.

"Sorry about that darlin'. I'm having a drink with the guys. We just finished a show." I heard them all call out a "Hello" and "We miss you". I was so happy to hear them I wanted to cry. Weird, I know.

"So what's up?" he asked, snapping me back from my reverie and making me get all nervous again.

"Well I was just calling to talk but it sounds like you're pretty busy." I swallowed loudly. "Just call me later or something."

"I'm not busy," he insisted. "What's going on? Is everything ok?"

I couldn't help but smile at his concern. At least it meant that he still felt something for me…

"Everything's fine. Good, even," I assured him, smiling again to myself.

"That's great, ba – "

He caught himself before he called me baby and abruptly my good feeling was gone.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly.

"Don't be."

Awkward silence followed for a few seconds. I tried to remember what my doctor said about facing things. He told me I ran away from issues and things that made me uncomfortable long before Evan's death and that it was something I was going to _have_ to stop doing. So I took a deep breath, cleared my mind, and said what I called him to say.

"So I'm sure you heard about Eddie and Stacy, right?"

"Yes, I did. I'm really happy for them. How is Mia doing with the pregnancy?" he asked. I'd called him as soon as we found out about it. Even though we were supposed to have been giving each other time, I figured he'd want to know about it and he thanked me for telling him.

"She complains about the morning sickness being more like all day sickness but other than that, she seems to be doing well. We're all excited about it. Mom is already going nuts as you can probably imagine," I laughed. He laughed with me and again, my heart melted.

_I miss you so much…_

"What?" Jackson's voice sounded surprised and guarded.

"What?" I asked. I was about to say I had no idea what he was talking about until I realized that my verbal filter had failed me in the worst possible way. Forget being caught calling him beautiful and a stupid Texan boy…No; it had failed me at my most vulnerable state, letting him hear something I would've never had the guts to say to him. Well, not sober, at least.

"Did you just say you miss me?"

_Dammit, dammit, dammit!_

"Yes," I whispered.

_Oh God…I just wanna hide forever._

"Oh," he said quickly. "I thought that's what you said but I wasn't sure."

Other than being thoroughly embarrassed, I also felt a little hurt and disappointed. He hadn't said he missed me too…

"Yeah, sorry about that," I tried to sound light. I wanted to play it off so I added a quick laugh.

"It's ok."

"Anyway, Stacy wanted me to call and invite all of you to her and Eddie's engagement party on the 15th of May. It's a Saturday."

He said that he might not be able to come depending on work but he was sure the others would probably be able to make it. My heart dropped but I didn't push it. I was the one that put myself in this situation and I had to accept the consequences. I just hoped that even if we never ended up back together, the awkwardness would subside enough for us to be friends. I missed him terribly. I would've taken him any way I could get him.

I decided against telling him about the doctor. I figured I would save it for another day as this conversation had been awkward enough. The phone was then passed around to all of the boys except for Uncle Larry who was apparently busy with a lady. I smiled at the thought that at his age he was getting more girls than some of the others were. I couldn't say that I blamed the girls. Uncle Larry was quite the charmer.

When Jackson finally got the phone back I said that it was nice to talk to him. He stopped me before I could say goodbye.

"Hey Rhiannon," he said suddenly.

"Yeah?" I was scared of what he was about to say. Instead, he surprised the hell out of me.

"I miss you too. I'll try really hard to make it to the party, ok?"

"Ok."

We said goodbye and then hung up. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of conversation was going on where they were. I might have driven myself insane thinking about it if Stacy hadn't conveniently shown back up in the living room.

"So how did it go?" she asked nonchalantly.

I leaned back against the couch and stared at the ceiling.

"He seemed a little distant and I stupidly told him I missed him," I answered and placed my arm over my eyes.

"Why is that stupid?" She shoved me playfully and laughed.

I groaned and sat up, letting my arm fall to my side.

"It's stupid because I've messed everything up, Stace." I turned to face her as she held out a glass of wine for me. I took it eagerly and downed about half the glass at one time.

Stacy watched me as I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand.

"Better?" She raised her eyebrows at me and smirked.

"Much. Thank you."

"Good, now listen to me. Jackson may still be hurt but he told you he'd wait for you. I don't believe that's changed. Maybe you should just tell him that you want him back and see what he says." She smiled widely at me and squeezed my hand. "You've come so far, Rhi. Sure, you still have a long way to go but you're getting there. Did you tell him about your sessions?"

"No. It was a little weird and I just thought it would be best to talk about that shit later," I said and sighed. "He did say that he missed me too, though."

"See?" She clapped her hands together and smiled again. "That's a step in the right direction."

I rolled my eyes and reminded her that we were still playing a game. For the first time ever Stacy beat me and after I shamelessly whined about her cheating even though we both knew she didn't, we headed to bed early because she had a house to show in the morning and I had my first day back at Gulf South Travel to prepare for.

Linda had graciously given me my job back since Mia was having such a rough time with Evan's death and the pregnancy. She said she could really use the help and was glad that I had wanted to return.

I had dinner every Wednesday night with my parents and spent just about every Sunday with Mark. Sometimes we'd have lunch or dinner and sometimes we'd just sit at his house playing cards. My therapist thought it was vital to my healing to forgive my father. I wasn't completely there yet but I was definitely on my way.

I thought about Jackson a lot as I lay in bed waiting to fall asleep. Memories filled my mind of the first time we met, the first time we kissed in front of my desk at work, the first time we made love in Dallas, and the first time he'd said he loved me. It was a strange feeling to be overcome with happiness and sadness at the same time.

The next few days went by pretty quickly and I fell back in to the routine of working relatively well. I hadn't spoken to Jackson again but I had talked to Jerad, Graupner, and Johnson who called to confirm that they'd be coming to the party. I was excited to get to see them again and I let that excitement take precedence instead of obsessing whether Jackson would be coming as well or if I had just completely screwed everything up.

My answer came on that Wednesday evening. My phone rang as I was on my way back to Stacy's after having my weekly dinner with Mom and Tom. I just about had an accident when I saw that it was Jackson.

"Hi," I answered cheerfully.

He chuckled. "Hey there, aren't we in a good mood?"

I laughed and smiled stupidly. "Well you've caught me at a good time, sir. What can I do for you?"

"I was just calling to RSVP for the party as long as the invitation is still open, that is."

I had to pull the phone away from my ear to squeal quietly so as not to embarrass myself again like I had the other night.

"Of course the invitation is still open silly," I playfully scolded him. "It's going to be great too. You know Stacy and her fondness of over doing _everything_. She's got a DJ, a bartender, a caterer, and has even been working on some slide show of her and Eddie's lives to present to everyone at some point during the night. She's completely lost her mind but she's having fun with it and that's all that matters right?"

"Absolutely," he agreed and then laughed. "I did need to ask you a question though."

"Shoot," I said.

"Ok. Would it be alright if I brought someone with me?"

I immediately felt my heart drop in to my stomach. He was bringing someone with him? Was it a date? Was it his new girlfriend?

I worked quickly to compose myself. I didn't want him to know how upset I was.

"Sure," I said. I tried to sound strong but it came out a little strangled.

"Ok great." He seemed oblivious to the fact that I was on the verge of tears and at least I could be grateful for that.

"So I'll see you on the 15th then." I felt my eyes filling up with tears and knew I needed to end this call as soon as possible.

"Yes ma'am," he said.

"Ok wonderful." I heard my voice shake and prayed that Jackson hadn't heard it. "I'll talk to you later."

"Wait." His carefree voice was replaced with concern. "Are you ok? You sound upset."

I took a calming breath.

_He doesn't deserve to have to worry about your emotional state, Rhiannon. Get yourself together right the fuck now_, I thought to myself.

"I'm fine," I told him and was surprised at how well my pep talk/scolding worked.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Jackson. I'm good. No worries, ok?" My façade was barely holding so I quickly told him I needed to get off the phone since I was driving but that I'd talk to him again soon.

Once the call had been ended, I gave in to the tears, letting them fall down my face. I tried not to be upset with him. I'd never intended to hold him to his promise to wait for me but I have to admit that I felt a little betrayed. I was being completely unfair and I knew it but I couldn't help feeling broken-hearted.

I walked in to the house and made a bee line for the stairs but was stopped by Eddie.

"Hey Rhi! What's –"

He cut himself off as he took in the look on my face. He quickly walked up to me and grabbed a hold of my shoulders.

"Rhiannon, what's wrong?"

I shook my head and cried harder. I was being so stupid! I just wanted to scream.

"Please, Rhiannon. Tell me what's wrong," he begged.

I finally gave up trying to get past him. He wasn't going to let me go anywhere until I told him what was going on.

"Jackson's bringing a date to your engagement party," I wailed and buried my face in his shoulder.

He let me cry for a few minutes before gently pushing me away from him so he could look at me.

"Rhiannon, what did you expect?" he asked. "You _did_ break up with him, you know."

"I know!" I began to pace in front of the stairs. "He has every right to bring a date and I have absolutely no right to be upset about it but I am. I hate myself for feeling this way, but I do." I stopped and pointed at Eddie. "We're only supposed to be on a break, Eddie. He told me he'd wait for me. So much for that." I threw my hands up in to the air and sat down on the stairs.

Eddie came to sit beside me. He bumped my shoulder with his and smiled at me. As much as I didn't want to, I returned his smile even if it was just a weak one.

"Listen, I don't think for one second that he doesn't still love you but you have to remember how much you two have been through." He looked at me with sadness in his eyes. "Sometimes it's just too far gone no matter how much you love each other." He looked past me as if he was deep in thought. When he snapped out of it, he returned his gaze to mine as he said, "Trust me, I know."

I thought about that for a second. I really was being a colossal bitch about the whole thing. We _had _been through a lot and it was a miracle that our relationship had lasted as long as it had. It was a true testament to how hard we'd fought to make it work. Unfortunately after over eight weeks of "the break" it seemed like it was going to be a permanent one.

_At least we didn't go down without a fight…_

I let that thought carry me through the weeks leading up to Stacy and Eddie's engagement party. I buried my sorrow in work and the plans for the party as well as the wedding itself. I couldn't believe I was helping to plan another wedding. As happy as I was for them, I found myself getting more and more lost in past events. My therapist worked hard to help me through it and I guess it could've been a lot worse than it actually was, but during that time, I was filled with so much regret and pain that if I wasn't at work or seeing Mom, Tom, or Mark, I was locked inside my room at Stacy's.

I was writing in the journal that Jackson got me. I wrote about everything. There were quite a few poems that I wrote about Jackson. Then there were a few that I wrote about Evan.

But my favorite one that I wrote was the one for my future niece or nephew. I decided I'd have it made as a painting and framed to give to Mia at her baby shower. I had a feeling it would be better than any gift I'd ever be able to give and hoped that she'd hang it up in the nursery.

I got excited about that plan and it helped shift my mood enough for me to spend the night before the party out of the confines of my room and with Stacy and Eddie. We went over everything one more time just to make sure we all knew what would be taking place and what was expected of us. Eddie and I just nodded, not being able to get a word in for Stacy's constant flow. She was the bride after all. It was my job as her maid of honor to make things easier for her and Eddie's job as her future husband to smile and give her everything she wanted. It would be the second marriage for each of them but they wanted it to be their last. With that thought in mind, Stacy wanted it to be everything she dreamed of and Eddie was happy to help her realize that dream.

After we'd all been thoroughly de briefed for the following day, we made our way to our rooms, needing the rest to make it through the next day.

I had just returned to my room from brushing my teeth when my phone beeped, announcing a text.

_Hey, we just made it to our hotel. – Jackson_

I quickly texted him back while pulling back the covers on my bed and climbing inside.

_Great! I'm glad you guys made it in safely. – Rhiannon_

I didn't receive a text back for a few minutes so I turned off my light and settled in to go to sleep. I was just closing my eyes when my phone beeped again from my nightstand.

_I can't wait to see you. – Jackson_

I looked at my phone and, despite myself, began to get angry. He couldn't wait to see me? What the hell was he talking about? He was bringing a fucking date to the party to parade around in front of me.

I decided to just ignore it rather than cause waves and turned off my phone. I settled in and went to sleep.

The next morning I was awoken by Stacy standing over me and holding a cup of coffee.

"Come on lazy ass!" she said, disturbingly chipper. "Today's my engagement party!" She sat the coffee down on my nightstand and proceeded to do leaps across the floor in my room.

I couldn't help but giggle at her. She was so excited and it made my heart swell. My best friend was getting married to a guy I considered family. It was more than I could have ever asked for.

I took my coffee and downed it, successfully burning my tongue in the process. I then took a quick shower and got dressed.

When I made it downstairs, Stacy was cleaning again for the millionth time this week. I rolled my eyes and went to pour another cup of coffee.

"Hey can you call the caterer and confirm the time for me please?" Stacy called as she dusted the TV stand, shaking her ass to whatever music she was listening to on her iPod. She stood up and pulled an ear bud out of one of her ears, looking at me expectantly.

"Sure, Stace." I smiled and pulled out my phone, showing it to her so she knew I was doing what she asked me to do.

I turned my phone on and was met with a beep. Apparently I received a text message after my phone was turned off last night.

_Are you mad at me? – Jackson_

_Shit!_

I'd missed the text and now he probably thought that I was mad at him. I had been, but that's not the point. I didn't have a right to be and if I couldn't handle him dating another girl how were we ever going to be friends?

I quickly sent him a text back letting him know that I had turned my phone off to get some sleep after I'd texted him back the first time.

_So you didn't get my last 2 texts last night? – Jackson_

_Nope. Got them this morning. Sorry. – Rhiannon_

_No problem. I'll see you tonight. – Jackson_

I didn't want to send some lame text so I just left it alone. I called the caterer and then set out to help Stacy with whatever she needed help with.

Ten hours later, the house was spotless, the decorations were beautiful, and everything was going smoothly. Chris and I welcomed the first round of guests which happened to be Mia, Linda, and Phil. They were followed by my Mom and Tom and then Jerry and his date, Chloe.

As more and more people showed up and the time ticked away, I began to wonder if Jackson and the guys had changed their minds. I stepped out back to smoke a cigarette while the flow of guests arriving died down. I was just about to throw my cigarette down and head back in when I felt arms wrap around my waist and a very familiar voice in my ear.

"You're gonna have to stop wearing those dresses if you ever expect me to stop thinking naughty thoughts about you." Graupner laughed as I elbowed him and then I spun around and threw my arms around him, hugging him tightly.

"Where the hell have you guys been? I was beginning to think you weren't coming," I said as I pulled away from Graupner.

"This guy takes longer than a fucking chick to get ready," Jerad said as he stepped out of the house and gestured towards Graupner.

"Fuck you, man," Graupner laughed and we all joined in, including Ben J who had come out right behind Jerad.

I hugged Jerad and then Johnson. After we'd chatted for a few minutes, I chanced asking them where Jackson was.

"He's talking to Stacy and Eddie. He said he'd be out in a few minutes," Johnson informed me.

I fidgeted with my short red dress and looked down as I asked, "Who's his date?"

At first no one answered me so I looked up at them and they were all avoiding my gaze.

"Well? Who is she?" I pressed.

Graupner wrapped his arm around my waist and smiled.

"She's no one important," he said.

"Really?" I scoffed. "She seems important enough for him to bring her to something like this. So who is she?"

Jerad spoke up next.

"Her name is Callie and it's nothing serious."

"Right," I said under my breath, fighting back the tears.

"Seriously, Rhiannon, he still loves you. This other girl…he doesn't plan to get serious with her," Johnson said as he pulled me in for a hug. He got close to my ear and whispered, "If you still love him, you should tell him." He looked at me harshly before heading back inside.

The rest of us followed Johnson in and I practically ran to the bar area and got myself a drink. I took a big drink of my rum runner and turned around to see Jackson standing behind me. I almost dropped my drink and I'm pretty sure I was straight up gawking at him. He just smiled coolly at me while I worked to calm myself down.

"You scared me," I laughed nervously.

"Sorry about that," he said. He then looked me up and down almost seductively. "You look beautiful."

"Oh, um, thanks," I stuttered and then blushed fiercely. I moved to hide my face behind my hair but he brushed my hair behind my ears.

He walked up to me and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me so close that no air was able to pass between our bodies.

"I've missed you," he whispered.

I gave in to the need to hold him. I was beginning to get that feeling again. The one that I'd had when he'd shown up unexpectedly at Evan and Mia's engagement party at this very house: I felt whole again.

And it scared the shit out of me.

I pulled back slightly and tried to smile. The close proximity of his body was making me delirious but I needed to remember that he had come here with a date. I pulled completely away from him and prepared myself to give the best acting job of my life.

"It's good to see you," I said and put on my best fake smile. "I need to run off though. I've got things to do and I'm sure you need to be getting back to your date. Enjoy the party, Jackson."

I turned and walked away from him before he could say another word. I managed to make it inside the bathroom before I couldn't hold back the sobs any longer. He had looked so good; so happy. Maybe this girl was good for him. Maybe she could make him happier than I ever had.

I resolved to do whatever was necessary to avoid him for the rest of the night. If I could just get through the party without causing a scene, I'd be doing well and I owed that much to Stacy.

I dried my eyes and fixed my make-up and then headed back out to the party.

"Where the hell have you been?" Stacy hissed as I made my way up to her.

"Sorry, Stace, I just needed a moment," I told her. "I'm good now." I gave her my fake smile but she didn't buy it.

"Bull shit." She smiled at me which surprised me. "Thanks for not making a big deal about it, though."

I nodded and gave her a real smile.

"By the way, she's not even pretty," Stacy said and made a face. Despite how childish I felt, I laughed and it made me feel just a little bit better.

Hey, I _was _his ex…I could be petty about his new girl if I wanted to.

Anyway, we went on to the toast which I had to make again and then on to the slide show Stacy had put together. I watched Jackson with the new girl while Stacy gave the introduction. I watched them until I couldn't stand it any longer. The lights dimmed as the slide show began so I took that opportunity to steal away outside and smoke.

I wasn't the only one with that idea it seemed and within seconds of me lighting my cigarette, I was aware of a body standing beside me. And of course it just had to be Jackson…

"Hey," he said.

"Hey, where's your date?" I returned, hoping it didn't sound as bitter as I felt.

"She doesn't smoke." He shrugged and lit his cigarette.

I watched him out of the corner of my eye trying to act like I didn't care.

"Oh, well good for her," I laughed without humor. "At least she'll outlive you, right?" I folded my arms in front of my chest and looked away.

"Rhiannon," Jackson said and sighed. "Just don't ok?"

"Fine," I snapped. I didn't want to argue so the logical solution was to get away from him. "I need to get back inside." I walked past him as I threw my half-smoked cigarette down on the ground. He grabbed my arm before I could get through the doors and pulled me back outside.

"What do you want from me Rhiannon?"

"Nothing. Not a thing," I said hatefully. I was really trying to keep my composure but my patience was wearing thin.

"That's bull shit and you know it. You're mad because I brought a date aren't you?" He looked at me triumphantly and it just pissed me off more.

"Well now that you mention it, what happened to 'I'm gonna wait for you'?" I challenged him, letting my anger boil over.

"I did fucking wait for you!" he yelled. "It's been almost three months and you've only called me a handful of times, Rhiannon. It became obvious that you were done with me."

"Ok, I'll give you the fact that I didn't call and I apologize, but it works both ways. You could've called me."

He sighed and looked down.

"You're right. I'm sorry."

I felt that familiar pang in my gut. The guilt was consuming me and I _had_ to stop hurting him.

"Don't apologize, Jackson," I soothed him. I remembered Eddie's words about relationships sometimes being too far gone and my eyes filled with tears. "Maybe this was for the best."

He looked up at me, confusion apparent in his stare.

"I'm just saying that you seem happy." A tear fell from my eye. "Maybe she's better for you than I was."

"I don't love her, Rhiannon," he told me.

"But maybe you will someday. You never know."

He just shook his head and then threw his cigarette down, walking inside and away from me.

I watched him as he walked back up to her, kissing her lightly on the cheek. She smiled at him and then returned her attention to the presentation.

I knew it was silly but I sent her a mental message as I watched them:

_You have everything I want but can never have again. Take care of him…_

**Now you understand the reason for the chapter's name. LOL! **

**Please review my lovelies!**


	19. Rock Your Soul

**I think you'll all enjoy this chapter (insert evil grin here). We've got two new characters this chapter as well as some fun with Stacy and Rhiannon. **

**A very big thank you to Lilaea who graciously agreed to be my new Beta. She's hella good at grammar and punctuation, two of the things I'm worst at. So…YAY! And as always, super big love goes to Mindy, my pre-reader extraordinaire.**

**Chapter 19: Rock Your Soul**

_I will not hit her. I will not hit her. I. Will. Not. Hit. Her…_

I chanted that phrase over and over again attempting to calm myself. Stacy's cousin, Natalia, was currently taking over packing the car because I "wasn't doing it right" as she so eloquently put it.

Stacy, Natalia, Eddie's cousin, Carlie, and I were getting ready to head to the airport for our flight to LA. Stacy decided that, instead of a traditional bachelorette party, she wanted a bachelorette trip. The plans had been hell to make but turned out quite well. We would land at LAX at 5:30 pm Wednesday evening (this evening), get to the hotel and get all dolled up for our 8:30 dinner reservations at The Palm, followed by Thursday morning at the Raya Day Spa, then lunch and shopping, and rounding out the action-packed day, the 100 Monkeys show at Busby's East. Friday would be another shopping day (barf!) and then off to the airport for our flight at five. We would be arriving back in Louisiana in enough time for Stacy to get home and get her beauty rest before walking down the aisle to become Mrs. Edward Reid.

I couldn't deny that I was excited but I was also really nervous to be going to the 100 Monkeys show. Things with Jackson and I had gotten a lot better but I still hadn't seen him since Eddie and Stacy's engagement party.

After another huge fight, we'd calmed down enough to talk rationally with each other. We decided we'd rather be friends than nothing at all and now talked a few times a week. Three months later, things were still going well. Sometimes he'd send me a funny picture or text just out of the blue. As far as I knew he was still seeing Callie but we made it a point to avoid that subject.

My nerves were running a-muck because talking to him on the phone and seeing him were two _very_ different things. He fucked with my head and made me act all irrational whenever he was near. I just hoped I could make it through the trip without doing something stupid…

"Dammit Rhi!" Stacy yelled, waving her hand frantically in front of my face.

"What?" I asked, having no idea what her problem was.

"I have been saying your name for the past five minutes, I swear," she huffed impatiently. "Are you ok? Have you had a stroke?"

I busted out laughing and at first the other girls were just staring at me like I was a fucking lunatic but eventually they joined in and everyone chilled out.

"Are we ready to go?" I looked past them and to the car. The trunk was closed and there were no bags on the ground around it.

_Maybe the bitch did know what she was doing._

"All packed up and ready to go," Natalia chimed in and then smiled at me condescendingly. If she wasn't Stacy's cousin, I'd slap the taste out of her mouth…

We piled in to Carlie's Audi and made our way to the airport.

The flight was short and I got to sit next to Stacy so at least I wasn't thinking murderous thoughts the whole time.

We talked about Mia and the baby, who we'd found out was going to be a boy. Mia was going to name him Evan. Real original, I know, but there was something really sweet about it, even if it was a little bit strange. She'd wanted to come with us but since it was mid-August and she was so close to giving birth, the doctor had strictly forbidden travel. She was so tired of being pregnant, she joked about stealing some Pitocin from the hospital and taking matters in to her own hands. I sometimes wondered if she really was joking or if I was going to get a phone call that she'd actually done it and my nephew was on the way.

When we landed and got our luggage, we climbed in to a taxi and headed to the hotel. The girls and I had kept the hotel a secret. We were staying in a grand suite at the Kyoto Grand Hotel and Gardens, a place Stacy had wanted Eddie to take her to a few months ago. I couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she found out we'd booked it for our stay.

While Stacy, Carlie, and Natalia talked excitedly about the plans, I sent Jackson a text to let him know we'd made it to LA.

_Hey, we're in LA. – Rhiannon_

In no time at all, I received a response.

_Are you at the hotel yet? – Jackson_

_Not yet. Almost there. – Rhiannon_

_Can I come see you? – Jackson_

My heart did a fucking back flip in my chest. I wanted so badly to see him but we had dinner reservations and he was dating someone…

_We have dinner reservations at The Palm, otherwise I'd say yes. – Rhiannon_

_No problem. Tomorrow before the show? – Jackson_

_We've got a pretty full day tomorrow too. But we could come to Busby's early, if you want. – Rhiannon_

_Perfect! Can y'all be here by 6 or is that too early? – Jackson_

_That should be fine. I'll see you tomorrow. – Rhiannon_

_Ok. Have a great time baby. – Jackson_

I looked at my phone like it had sprouted legs and started doing a fucking tap dance. Then I closed, reopened, and reread the text.

There was no mistaking it.

He called me baby.

I chalked it up to just a mistake or a slip up. Maybe he'd sent me a text meant for Callie on accident. Who knew?

I looked up just in time to see the look of realization, shock, disbelief, and then pure joy that graced Stacy's face as we parked in front of the hotel.

She looked at me, her mouth gaping like a fish.

I smiled widely at her and nodded in answer to her unspoken question.

She finally regained her voice when we stepped out of the taxi.

"Holy shit!" she yelled and then did a little dance.

I couldn't help but laugh at her. I'd never seen her so excited. Once her little dance was done, she just about knocked me over when she collided in to me and hugged me tightly.

"Damn Stacy," I laughed and returned her hug.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she breathed in to my ear.

"You deserve it, Mrs. Reid," I whispered back.

She released me, smiled, and then skipped inside the hotel. Carlie and Natalia followed Stacy as she oohed and ahhed over everything in the lobby while I went to check us in. Ten minutes later we were inside our grand suite and Stacy was screaming again.

I felt pretty proud of myself. As far as surprises go, Stacy usually hated them, but I thought we could file this one under a surprise she not only liked, but absolutely loved.

After Stacy's freak out ended, we got ready to go to dinner. The Palm did not disappoint. The atmosphere was amazing, the food was incredible, and the wine was perfect. We had a lot of it too…

Stacy wanted to keep the party going when we got back to our suite but I reminded her that we had to be at the spa at nine in the morning. She whined a little bit but eventually gave in.

The spa was fun and I have to admit that it was extremely relaxing but, being the one who booked it and had to pay for mine _and_ Stacy's "Day of Beauty", it was not something I could see ever doing again.

We had lunch at a cute little café and then headed to the shops. We hit a lingerie store, a shoe store, and then some store that sold sexy outfits and dresses that you would see someone wearing out to a club or maybe on a street corner…

"Fuck that, Stacy," I said as I pushed her hand away. She was holding some monstrosity of a dress that had less material on it than the nightie I'd worn for Jackson in Dallas. She was trying to hold it up to me, saying how hot I'd look wearing it to the show tonight.

"Oh come on, Rhi," she teased, trying to hold it up to me again. "Jackson won't be able to remember the words to the songs if he sees you in this." She laughed when I smacked her hand again.

"Jackson has a girlfriend, Stacy. She'll probably even be there tonight."

"Yeah, about that…what were you thinking letting him go? I mean, that has to be the dumbest mistake you ever made, right?" Natalia asked as she took the dress from Stacy and placed it back on the rack.

_I will not hit her. I will not hit her…_

"It's really none of your fucking business, Nat and if you can't stop being a bitch for two seconds, I'll put your ass on a plane back to bum fuck nowhere," Stacy seethed. She smiled cruelly as she took in the look of shock and fear on Natalia's face. "Do we understand each other?"

Natalia nodded and then walked away quickly.

_Score one for Stacy!_

I smiled big at my friend and she smiled back triumphantly.

"I'm so glad someone put that bitch in her place," Carlie laughed. "Eddie hit the jackpot with you, Stacy."

We all laughed and, after picking out a skimpy top for Stacy, decided to find Natalia so we could go get ready for the show.

Stacy and Natalia apparently fought constantly but could never stay mad at each other. They were giggling and doing each other's hair within an hour of their confrontation.

Stacy helped me with my hair and make-up but the outfit was of my own choosing. I was wearing a dark blue jean mini skirt, a black one shoulder top with a rhinestone chain shoulder accessory, and knee-high black boots.

I couldn't believe how much I actually liked the way I looked. My hair was down and softly curled. My eye make-up was a smoky combination of silver and dark gray coupled with black eyeliner and mascara while my lips were a soft shade of pink and my cheeks were rosy. I slipped on my thin black shawl and headed down with the girls.

We made it to Busby's right at six. I texted Jackson to let him know we were there and he sent one back saying they had just finished with their last meet and greet and to come on back to the dressing room.

The four of us got some pretty nasty looks as we were led through the crowd of people making their way in to the venue and straight to the back. The closer we got to the dressing room, the more nauseous I became. When we finally reached the door, the guy that walked us back there knocked and then ran off back the way we came.

Jerad answered the door, a huge smile on his face, and hugged Stacy and then me. We walked inside and just like he was a fucking magnet, my eyes immediately found and stuck to Jackson. I could feel my heartbeat hammering against my chest and hoped that my shallow breathing wasn't noticeable.

I only partially paid attention to Stacy introducing Carlie and Natalia to the guys and it seemed Jackson wasn't paying attention at all. We were doing that weird stalker-ish stare thing and it took Graupner laughing loudly to break the spell.

"Damn, you two. Do you need us to leave the room and give you some privacy?" Graupner asked, successfully interrupting our staring contest and embarrassing us both.

Jackson's cheeks reddened and I felt my own cheeks heat up. Graupner laughed and then hugged us all next, followed by Ben J, Uncle Larry, and then finally, Jackson. His hands were dangerously close to my ass as he hugged me and I had to fight the urge to take his hands and place them on my ass myself.

_Get a hold of yourself, Rhi!_

"You look gorgeous, Rhiannon," he said and then squeezed me tighter. "It's good to see you."

"And what about the bride-to-be?" Stacy asked, commanding his attention.

"Stacy, you're beautiful as always," he laughed, pulling her in for a hug. He whispered something in her ear and she nodded. He smiled at her and then moved on to Carlie who was standing next to Stacy.

I looked over at my best friend questioningly but she just shook her head and waved her hand as if it was no big deal.

We hung out and had a few beers with them but when Lani came in to tell them they had ten minutes; we got up to head out for the show.

"Hey," Jackson said quietly, his hand on my wrist. "I need to talk to you after the show. Can you hang out and wait for me?"

The smell of beer and cigarettes enveloped me and as much as I needed to say no, I just couldn't. He was like a fucking drug and I was hopelessly addicted.

I nodded and smiled. He gave me that gorgeous smirk, kissed me on the cheek and slapped my ass as I walked away.

I squealed and shot him a bird, making him laugh.

As soon as I caught up to the girls, Stacy giggled and threw her arms around my neck, planting a quick kiss on my cheek.

"He slapped your ass! I saw him!" she said excitedly.

"It looks like he still has feelings for you," Carlie added. "The way he was looking at you the whole time...it was like you were the only person in the world." She smiled and winked.

"Can I say something without being branded a bitch?" Natalia asked.

Stacy shot her a look but didn't object. I looked at her expectantly, silently giving her permission. She walked up to me, standing just inches from my face. She placed her hands on my shoulders and looked directly in to my eyes.

"Tell him that you still love him," she said, all teasing and bitchiness aside. "Tell him the second you have him alone and then don't you ever let him go again. Do you understand me?"

It was probably the nicest thing she'd ever said to me. At that moment, all I wanted to do was hug her, so I did. She seemed shocked that I was hugging her at first but then quickly recovered and hugged me back.

After we'd pretty much sealed our bond as friends, the four of us headed out to the bar and got ourselves some drinks. We downed those pretty quickly and Carlie was going to get us another round when the guys took the stage.

Jackson searched the crowd until he found me, a warm smile lighting that gorgeous face when his eyes met mine. Graupner addressed the crowd, getting them all riled up. Screams filled the air as "Reaper" began. Jackson played the audience, getting in to some of their faces as he sang. The girls screamed even louder and I found myself wondering how the hell he still had any hearing left.

As the show went on, Jackson glanced back at me more and more until he just blatantly stared at me the entire time they played "Wing's On Fire". Some of the girls noticed and gave me "Go to hell" looks but I didn't care. I was so lost in what was happening between us that I wouldn't have cared if they all tried to lynch me at that point. All I wanted was him.

The girls and I danced to "The Monkey Song" and "Orson Brawl". The improv song was fantastic and the guys gained two new fans in Carlie and Natalia. The show ended with the "Thank You Song" and the guys left the stage. I ordered a shot of whiskey and downed it real quick before following the girls out to the merch table where Carlie and Natalia were going to buy CDs.

While we were still in line, the guys came out to do a signing so Carlie and Natalia just _had_ to get in line to get their CDs signed. I decided to head back to the bar for a few more shots while I waited and Stacy joined me.

"So…Jackson," Stacy said after we'd taken our shots of whiskey.

"What about him?" I asked nonchalantly. I couldn't stop the smile that formed on my lips, though.

"He was totally staring at you almost the entire show, Rhi," Stacy gushed. "Please tell me that you're going to tell him how you feel."

"I might," I teased. "But only if you tell me what he said to you in the dressing room."

"You don't have to bribe me to get me to tell you. If you want to know, just ask." She looked at me, her eyebrows raised.

"I just did, Stace."

She laughed and then rolled her eyes.

"You're no fun," she said bitterly. "Ok. He asked me if I thought you still loved him."

My mouth fell open and my eyes widened. I remembered her smiling and nodding at him.

"And you told him I did." I was horrified. It was true, I was still in love with him but I hadn't wanted him to know…not yet, anyway.

"Why else do you think he asked me?" Stacy said, waving the bartender over. "He still loves you too, that's why."

I thought about it as she ordered us a few more shots. I guess that could be a logical conclusion to come to given all that he'd done tonight. Staring at me, slapping my ass…it definitely felt like there was _something_ there.

_But what about Callie?_

If he was still seeing her, this was wrong. _Very_ wrong.

I took my shot and knocked it back. What was I doing? Flirting shamelessly with my ex-boyfriend and causing a bigger mess than there was before.

_So much for not doing anything stupid…_

"Hey, what's up? You look upset," Stacy observed.

"Jackson is seeing Callie, isn't he?"

Stacy immediately shook her head.

"I don't think so. He wouldn't be acting this way with you if he was."

I guess it was possible that they'd broken up. It's not like we talked about her so even if they had, I wouldn't know about it. I decided that would be the first question I asked him when we talked.

Stacy and I hung out at the bar another thirty minutes before Carlie and Natalia made their way to us. They were gushing about the guys and how sweet and hot they were. We all had a beer together while we waited for them to get done with the signing.

I had just finished my beer when I felt lips at my ear.

"You waited," Jackson whispered, his lips brushing against my ear lobe. Goose bumps broke out all over my body as my heart beat sped.

"You asked me to," I said, turning to face him.

"Since when do you do anything I ask you to do?" he teased, grinning at me and making my heart melt.

"Fuck you," I scoffed. I leaned in and shoved him playfully. He caught my hand and pulled me off the bar stool and against his chest.

Our smiles faded as we looked in to each other's eyes. I felt the desire radiating from him and I'm sure he felt it from me.

Suddenly, he cleared his throat and backed away from me, although he didn't let go of my hand.

"Walk with me?" he asked, the smile returning to his lips.

"Sure."

I told the girls we'd be back but they all told me not to hurry and then I walked out of the side door and around to the back of the building with Jackson, who kept a tight grip on my hand the whole way.

When we got to our apparent destination, he released my hand and pulled out his cigarettes, offering me one. I smiled as I took it and let him light it for me too.

We smoked in silence for a minute, my nerves beginning to get the best of me. I wanted to open my mouth and speak but my body wasn't cooperating with me.

Mercifully, he broke the silence first.

"It's so much easier to say you need to talk to someone than it is to actually have the conversation with them," he laughed nervously.

"Yeah, that it is," I agreed and began to pull at the strands hanging from my mini skirt. I avoided his gaze though I could feel his eyes on me.

He walked up to me and grabbed the hand I was pulling at my skirt with and brought it to his lips. He placed a soft kiss on the back of my hand and then released it.

"Jackson…" I breathed. My eyes met his and though I had wanted to say more to him, the look in his eyes silenced me.

"Rhiannon, I love you," he said, his voice full of passion. "I never stopped loving you. I miss you. I miss us." He leaned in and placed his cheek against mine, nuzzling his nose in to my hair. He finally gave up on his cigarette and tossed it to the ground. He then ran his fingers through my hair as his nose glided down my jaw line and to my neck where he placed feather light kisses all the way down to my collar bone. He stood back up and looked me deep in the eyes. "I want you back. Please come back to me."

I was just about to scream yes until my voice was hoarse when I remembered the question I was supposed to ask him.

"Are you still seeing Callie?"

He backed away from me slightly and looked at me in surprise.

"No. Callie and I broke up a while ago. I didn't love her. I couldn't." He looked away from me and sighed. "I couldn't stop loving you. Believe me, I tried but you're it for me, baby girl. There will never be anyone else; only you."

My eyes filled with tears and a stupid smile spread across my lips.

"Ok, you're smiling but you're crying," Jackson said, his confusion apparent in his tone. "Does that mean you're happy or sad?"

I laughed and closed the distance between us, wrapping my arms around his neck.

"These are happy tears," I told him and then crushed my lips to his. Our mouths moved together in soft kisses at first and then we deepened the kiss, my tongue slipping in to his mouth and gliding along his tongue. He pulled me even closer to him and moaned in to my mouth.

"I love you so much," I said against his lips.

He broke away from me, both of us panting.

"I've missed you so much, baby," he whispered, his forehead pressed against mine.

"I've missed you too," I admitted. "And I never stopped loving you either. I'm so sorry for what I put you through."

He shook his head and shushed me, bringing his lips back to mine and kissing me until my knees went weak. He broke away and looked me up and down seductively.

"I want you," he said suddenly, his voice full of darkness and lust. "Now."

My breath caught in my throat and I responded by hitching my leg up onto his hip and grinding myself in to his erection. He moaned and grabbed my ass, pulling me in to him again.

"Oh fuck, baby. I need to be inside you right fucking now," he rasped. He lifted me up and carried me to the wall on the outside of the building. I braced my back against it and wrapped my legs around his waist. He grabbed a hold of my panties and ripped them off, dropping the now ruined pair on the ground. I couldn't find it in me to care about the loss of those panties because it was too fucking sexy that he'd just ripped them off of me.

I helped him unbuckle his belt and unbutton his jeans; then he grabbed his dick and pulled it out. He kept his eyes locked on mine as he slid in to me. I stretched more and more the further he went in until he filled me completely. I'd forgotten how big he was and my poor pussy hadn't had anyone since him and it had been a while…

I moaned and he cussed when he pulled back until he was almost completely out and thrust back in with a little more force. My eyes rolled back and my head fell back to rest on the wall. He felt so amazing and I felt so complete that I could hardly contain myself.

"Fuck Jackson," I moaned. "You feel…oh shit…you feel so…fucking good."

He sped up his pace while he held on to my hips. I braced myself against the wall again and matched his thrusts, causing another round of profanities to leave his lips. He pushed in deeper and hit that lovely spot that caused me to be reduced to mush.

I cried out as he went even faster, hitting my spot over and over.

"You're so fucking beautiful," he said as he fucked me harder. "Cum for me Rhiannon. Please."

I felt the burn and tightness in my stomach beginning to spread. My limbs began to tingle and my lips went numb. I think I screamed his name right before I came but I'm not sure he was able to understand it. My body shook uncontrollably as I rode out my orgasm. Jackson began to thrust harder but his movements became erratic and I knew he was close.

I kissed him deeply and then watched his face as he came. Seeing his reaction and knowing I made him feel that way was the most amazing and self-gratifying thing I'd ever witnessed. He emptied himself inside of me, continuing to thrust until every last bit was splurged.

He laid his head down on my chest for a few seconds, trying to control his breathing. He then pulled out of me and eased me down off the wall.

"Ouch," I complained once I was back on the ground.

"What's wrong?" Jackson asked breathlessly.

"I'm not sure but I think I have some scratches or something on my back."

"Turn around," he said. I turned away from him and felt his fingertips on my back. I hissed when they touched the hurt area. "Yeah, you've got some scratches. They're not too bad, but your shirt is ruined."

"Are you fucking serious?" I laughed. I couldn't be angry that my shirt was ruined. The circumstances in which it got ruined prevented me from feeling anything but pure elation.

Jackson smiled and kissed me sweetly on the lips. I fixed myself as best I could and then we headed back in to the bar and to our friends. He held my hand, entwining our fingers and squeezing them tightly.

All eyes were on us as we walked back up to our group.

Jackson kissed my hand and smiled.

"We're back together," he announced and we were met with whistles and congratulations from the guys, and giggles and squeals from the girls.

I quickly grabbed my shawl and slipped it on to keep anyone from noticing the mess Jackson and I had made of my shirt.

"Rhi, your skirt," Stacy said, gesturing to my skirt and holding back laughter.

I looked down and was horrified to find that my skirt had been turned almost completely around and I apparently had missed that when I was fixing myself.

I blushed and quickly turned it back around to the front.

"That skirt will be on my floor later," Jackson whispered in my ear, softly biting my ear lobe.

I blushed again and slapped Jackson playfully on the arm. He laughed and pulled me to him, kissing me deeply.

Graupner cleared his throat and chuckled under his breath.

"Making up for lost time?" he asked, smiling that evil little smile I'd grown to love.

I nodded frantically and then kissed Jackson again.

We drank a few more beers with everyone but the more Jackson kissed, rubbed, and whispered to me, the more I was ready to leave.

"I want to kiss you everywhere baby," Jackson whispered in to my hair as his hand slid up my thigh to the hem of my skirt.

And that was it. That was all I could take. I jumped up suddenly and gave Jackson a look that would leave no doubt in his mind that I was ready to go. He caught on quickly and we said goodnight to everyone, jumping in his car and pretty much speeding to his house.

We barely made it through the door and up the stairs to his bedroom before clothes were being ripped from each other's bodies.

He was careful with my shirt so as not to aggravate the scratches any more than was necessary but with the rest of me he was pretty rough and demanding. I liked it though. Ah, who the hell am I kidding? I fucking loved it!

I loved it even more when he bent me over the bed and took me from behind. I was so wet he slid in effortlessly. He held on to my hip with one hand and rubbed my clit with the other as he drove in to me over and over. The room was filled with the sounds of our breathing, moaning, and cussing.

After I came for the first time, he pulled out of me and asked me to get on the bed. I did as I was told, crawling on to the bed but I wasn't sure what he wanted me to do once I was there. I didn't have to worry about it long before he flipped me over on to my back and pushed in to me again, pulling my legs up to rest on his chest. His thumb massaged my clit again as his thrusts got harder and harder.

I screamed incoherently as my second orgasm rocked my body but as soon as I was able to recover slightly, I rolled Jackson over until I was on top of him and straddling his hips.

He held on to me as I rode him hard and fast. His body began to shake at the same time the tightness returned in my stomach. I sped up even more and he filled the air with an array of colorful profanities and asking me not to stop.

I felt his dick pulsate inside me as my third orgasm hit me. We were coming together and it was amazing.

I collapsed on to his chest, completely spent.

Jackson kissed my sweat-covered forehead and then ran his fingertips up my bare back, accidentally running them over the scratches.

I winced from the pain and he quickly apologized, saying he'd forgotten about them while I was fucking the hell out of him. I laughed and assured him it was ok.

"How about a shower?" he asked as I got off of him and lay down next to him on the bed. "I think I have some ointment for those cuts. We could take a shower and I could rub the ointment on your scratches."

I smiled and nodded, following him to his bathroom and getting in the shower with him. He washed me and I washed him. We got in to a little tickle fight that ended up with me bent over in the shower screaming Jackson's name as I came. He didn't last much longer than me and when we were done, we cleaned ourselves again being careful not to touch each other and then got out.

He insisted that there was no need for me to put any clothes on and made me lie down on the bed completely naked as he went to get the ointment.

I was lying on my stomach, my arms crossed and my head resting on them, when I heard a soft hum coming from the doorway of Jackson's room.

I lifted my head and looked to see Jackson leaned against the door frame, a towel sitting low on his hips, ointment in his hand, and a look of pure lust in his eyes.

"Are you kidding me?" I laughed as I laid my head back down on my arms.

"You're lying there all naked and sexy," he said defensively as he approached the bed and climbed in beside me. "What do you expect me to do?"

"I expect you to be worn the fuck out like I am." I smiled and closed my eyes as his fingertips moved up my back, stopping right before he touched the scratches again.

"I could go all night, baby," he said seductively, causing my lady parts to tingle.

I laughed and rolled my eyes. I immediately relaxed as I felt his fingertips smooth the ointment on my wounds.

I hummed in satisfaction and he leaned in and kissed my shoulder.

He continued his heavenly rubbing and I felt myself slipping in to unconsciousness. I was so happy, so relaxed, so content, and more importantly, I was complete. It didn't matter what we'd been through, it only mattered where we ended up. We belonged together. That realization was another thing I think I ran from. I never thought I was good enough for him when all the while, the truth was, I was made for him and he was made for me.

"What do you think our kids will be like?" he asked, snapping me back from my day dream.

I propped myself up on my elbows and looked at him.

He smiled that heart-breakingly beautiful smile and asked, "What?"

"Kids?" I asked him, raising my eyebrows.

"Of course. I want a house full," he said matter-of-factly. "I thought I should probably let you know that since you're gonna marry me one day."

"You're a demanding one, aren't you?" I teased, leaning in and kissing him quickly on the lips. "Kids and marriage…next thing I know you're gonna tell me you expect me to grow old with you. What a horrible life."

He chuckled and brushed the hair out of my face.

"I think you'll manage." He leaned in and kissed me again. "I love you."

"I love you too."

He lay down on his back and pulled me with him, wrapping his arm around my shoulders as I nestled in to his chest. I laid there listening to his heartbeat and the sounds of his breathing.

And for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was home.

**Can I get a big resounding "YAY!"? They're back together. Hopefully this means you guys will stop being mad at me. Hehehehe! **

**Seeing as how this story is coming to an end soon, I would really like to know what your favorite events, chapters, characters, etc were. You can tweet them to me (Lia_Jane711…my page is private but if you'll send a follow request, I'll accept it), message them to me, or include them in your reviews. There may or may not be a surprise for those of you who participate in this…**

**Thank you all so much for reading and please review!**


	20. Everything Changes

**Last chapter…There will still be an epilogue posted and I am still working on outtakes but this is the last chapter of the main story. I hope you all enjoy it and as always, a big thank you to my wonderful Beta, Lilaea and my fabulous pre-reader, Mindy. Thanks for all your hard work and thank you to all of you for reading!**

**Chapter 20: Everything Changes**

"Mom, slow down," I pleaded. I sat up in bed and Jackson's arm slipped off my waist. There was only one reason why she would call me all panicked like this but I still needed her to calm down before she had a fucking heart attack. "Deep breaths, ok?" Jackson groaned and stirred, yawning loudly.

I could hear her taking deep, shaky breaths. I waited patiently for her to be able to talk again. After about a minute, she was finally ready to try again.

"Mia's water broke," she informed me. "The baby's coming!"

I squealed and clapped successfully waking Jackson up. He sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes and looking at me questioningly. I held up my hand for him to wait just a minute.

"Tom and I have just gotten to the hospital," she said excitedly. "Are you on your way?"

"Yes ma'am. We'll be there as soon as we can."

I hung up from my mother and turned to face Jackson, a huge smile taking over my face.

"What is it?" he asked, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"Mia's in labor." I climbed out of bed and couldn't stop myself from jumping up and down. Jackson's face lit up immediately and he laughed at my enthusiasm.

"So I have to get up now?"

I nodded frantically and grabbed his hands, tugging on them as hard as I could but he wouldn't budge. Instead, he pulled me on to the bed and wrapped his arms around me.

"Jackson!" I yelled and began to wriggle, trying to free myself from his grip. "Stop! We have to go!" He laughed even harder but released me.

"Okay, okay," he said, pulling the covers from his body and getting out of bed. "What time is it?"

"A little after nine." I pulled some clean clothes on and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth and put my hair up. A few minutes later Jackson came to stand behind me fully dressed. He leaned in and kissed my neck while he pulled his various toiletries from a bag. He then freshened up and we hurried out of the door and to the car.

~o.O.o~

Jackson pulled up in front of the hospital and dropped me off at the door. I leaned in and gave him a quick kiss and then climbed out of the car.

"Baby!" Jackson called after me.

"Yes, Jackson. There's a baby coming," I laughed. He rolled his eyes at me.

"I was just going to say that I love you and congratulations, Aunt Rhiannon."

"Well he's not here yet and I'm gonna miss it if I don't go," I said impatiently and gestured in to the hospital.

He laughed and said, "Ok. Go. I'll be up there as soon as I get the car parked."

I blew him a kiss and then ran inside heading straight for the elevators. I rode the elevator up to the maternity floor, nervously bouncing the whole time.

It was pure luck that Jackson was in town when Mia went in to labor. He had come to spend the weekend with me at Stacy's while she and Eddie were out of town at some real estate convention in Vegas. I couldn't have been more thrilled that he was going to be here to share this life-changing event with me.

Jackson and I had been back together for about two and a half months. Things were going great, well better than great, really. We were making plans for me to finally move to L.A. in just a few weeks. I had been ready to move in with him sooner but I couldn't leave the state until after Mia gave birth to Evan. There was no way I was going to miss it.

It was still strange to think that there would be another Evan but the excitement outweighed any and everything else.

_I wonder how much he'll look like his dad…_

The elevator doors opened and I rushed to the counter, giving them Mia's name and then ran down the hallway in search of her room.

When I made it outside her door I knocked lightly and Linda opened it.

"Rhiannon," Linda breathed and pulled me in for a hug. "Come in. Mia's been asking for you."

I walked in and caught Mia's eye. She looked completely relaxed and I couldn't help but smile.

"They got you on the good shit already?" I asked her as I sat beside her on the bed.

She smiled and nodded.

"I was seven centimeters dilated the last time they checked me," she told me. "And I was in so much pain when I got here that they gave me the epidural immediately."

"Now you're not feeling much of anything, are you?" I asked and grabbed her hand.

"No. Not a thing." She squeezed my hand and smiled sadly at me. "I wish Evan was here."

"He will be soon," I replied. "And as for my brother, he _is_ here; always has been."

I heard a muffled sob and turned to see my mother and Tom sitting in the chairs across from the bed. To say my mother was an absolute wreck would be an understatement. I knew she was going to have a hard time with it but my heart broke, despite how much time I'd spent mentally preparing myself for it.

I walked over to her and hugged her tightly. A few tears escaped my own eyes but I held myself together. This was a happy occasion and we all needed to be reminded of it.

"Ok," I started, wiping my eyes and standing up straight. "No more crying, understand? Evan would say the same thing and we all know it." I looked around the room at mine and Mia's parents and then rested my gaze on Mia. "Your son is going to be here soon and he's going to be perfect. So let's get excited about that." I smiled wide at her but my attention was drawn to the door when I heard a knock. Phil opened the door and Jackson stepped inside. He shook Phil's hand and hugged Linda, telling them congratulations before moving on to Mia and giving her a quick kiss on the forehead.

He finally made it to me after shaking Tom's hand and giving my mother a big hug. He kissed me sweetly on the lips and took hold of my hand, squeezing it gently.

Just then, a nurse walked in and asked us all to leave so she could check Mia's progress. We all filed out except for Linda and waited in the hallway. A few minutes later, the nurse came back out and told us that Mia was ready to push and that she was going to get the doctor.

"Which one of you is Rhiannon?" the nurse asked.

"That's me," I answered and stepped forward.

"She's asked that you be allowed in for the birth. Are you ok with that?"

I felt my heart swell in my chest. I was going to be able to be in the room when my nephew was delivered?

I nodded and swallowed the lump that was building in my throat. The nurse smiled and motioned for me to go back in to the room.

I turned around and gave Jackson a kiss and then hugged my mother and Tom. The excitement grew as I walked back in to the room where I would help to welcome Evan Philip Grey in to the world.

~o.O.o~

Three hours later Mia gave birth to a perfectly healthy 7 lb. 13 oz. baby boy. I had held one hand while Linda held the other, both of us encouraging Mia every step of the way.

We'd all cried when they held him up. He was absolutely perfect just like I said he'd be and he did look like his daddy which simultaneously broke our hearts and made us happy. He had Evan's eyes and nose with Mia's mouth.

After they had cleaned him up and attended to Mia, they moved the baby to the nursery where he would receive his first bath and be put on display for the family to see. I went out to the waiting room to announce his arrival and let everyone know that Mia was ok.

As everyone in the waiting room got up to make their way to the nursery, Jackson came up to me and enveloped me in a tight hug.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

My eyes filled with tears but I smiled at him and nodded. I didn't want my sadness to ruin the happiness of the day.

"He's beautiful, Jackson."

"I'm sure he is, baby." He lifted my chin and pressed his lips against mine. "Now why don't we go see him?"

I smiled at him again and took hold of his hand, leading him to the nursery. We got there just in time to see them wheel little Evan up to the front. The nurse smiled at us and then moved out of the way so we could admire the gorgeous child laid out before us.

My mother couldn't help herself and began to cry. Tom held on to her as he took picture after picture. Mark was talking to Phil about the different features that little Evan had gotten from the Grey side. Jackson and I just stood there looking at the baby. He moved behind me and put his arms around my waist.

"You're right," Jackson breathed in to my ear. "He is beautiful. Just like his gorgeous aunt."

I couldn't help the smile that spread across my face. Everything was so unbelievably perfect and I was filled with so much joy. I would've been content to stay in that moment forever.

We stayed at the hospital another few hours and Jackson got to hold little Evan. I couldn't believe how great he looked with a baby in his arms and couldn't resist taking a few pictures on my phone to drool over later. My eyes went blind from the continuous flashes from both my mother's and Linda's cameras. I only got to hold little Evan for a grand total of five minutes but I'm pretty sure there was at least a hundred pictures taken.

Finally we decided to let Mia and the baby get some rest and headed back to Eddie and Stacy's. I called Stacy on the way and filled her in on all the details. I even sent her the picture I'd taken of Jackson holding Evan. She told me to tell Mia that they would be there as soon as they got back in town; that they weren't even going to go home first.

Just as I hung up the phone we pulled in to the driveway and went inside. We had picked up a few burgers from "Whataburger" on our way and Jackson laid everything out on the table while I grabbed us a few beers.

We talked about the events of the day as we ate and I thought I had done a very good job of burying the anguish I felt. Apparently, I was wrong.

"Baby, I know you're not completely ok with all of this," Jackson said as he reached across the table and grabbed my hand. "Talk to me."

I sighed and looked down. Why did I have to be such an open book all the time?

"I just miss him," I whispered as the tears filled my eyes and spilled over on to my cheeks. "It isn't fair that he'll never get to hold his son, and it's not fair that little Evan will never know his father."

Jackson rose from his seat, walking around the table and knelt down on his knees beside me. I turned my chair around to face him and he took my hands in his.

"It's not fair," he agreed, staring in to my eyes. "But little Evan _will _know his father. You, your parents, and Mia will see to that."

He kissed my hands and placed them in my lap. I smiled at him and immediately felt better for getting my feelings off my chest. Jackson was always good at making me feel better about pretty much anything – when I'd let him, that is. I brought my hands back up and cupped his face.

"I love you," I told him and leaned down to kiss his lips. A memory from earlier in the day filled my mind and I smiled mischievously at him, looking him straight in the eyes. "You know, you looked really hot with a baby in your arms."

He chuckled and stood up, pulling me to my feet and against his body.

"I did, huh?" he teased while he slid his arms around me.

I nodded and gave him a lustful look. I brushed his lips with mine and whispered, "Someday you're going to be holding our baby."

"Yes I am," he said against my lips and then kissed me hard. I put my arms around his neck as we deepened the kiss. As our lips moved together, my desire took over my entire body. I pressed my body tighter against him and rotated my hips, grinding myself in to the very prominent bulge that had grown in his pants.

"You're not hungry anymore, are you?" he whispered. His breath quickened as I nibbled at his neck, shaking my head in answer to his question.

He pulled away from me and grabbed my hand. We practically ran up the stairs and to my bedroom. Bursting through the door, Jackson lifted me off the floor and carried me the rest of the distance from the door to my bed.

He laid me down gently and climbed on top of me, his lips finding mine again. Our mouths opened and he slid his tongue in to my mouth, gliding it along mine. I sighed and wrapped my legs around his waist as his hand moved up my leg and all the way to my ass.

I grabbed his shirt and pulled it over his head. His eyes met mine as I scraped my nails down his chest and stomach, grabbing the button on his jeans.

He got off of the bed and pulled his shoes and socks off so he could remove his pants. I took the opportunity to shed some of my own clothing but only got my shirt off before Jackson was getting back on the bed.

He pushed me down on to my back and kissed my neck, trailing his kisses all the way down to the valley between my breasts. Grabbing my bra straps, Jackson pulled them off my shoulders and down until the girls were exposed. He then smirked at me and leaned down, taking my left nipple in his mouth while he palmed my right boob. He licked, nipped, and sucked my nipple sending me in to a frenzy. He moved over to my right breast as he undid the button and zipper on my jeans.

I watched as he slowly pulled my jeans and panties off and tossed them in the floor. Starting at my feet, he rubbed his hands all the way up my legs to my knees where he gently parted them and settled himself between them, dangerously close to where I wanted him the most. He licked his lips and leaned down even further, running his tongue up and down my wet folds.

I moaned loudly and tangled my fingers in his hair, wanting him to stay right where he was. When he slid his tongue in to me, I couldn't hold it in any longer.

"Fuck," I whimpered, my hips bucking up towards him. He immediately grabbed me and held me still as his tongue continued pumping in and out of me. He removed one hand from my hips and pressed his thumb against my clit, massaging in small tight circles. My body lit up with pleasure and it wasn't long before I was cuming and screaming incoherent phrases.

He licked me clean as I rode out my orgasm and then pulled down his boxers, kicking them off the side of the bed. He then crawled up towards me and between my legs. Hitching my leg up on his hip, we moaned together as he slid in to me.

"Fuck, I love you," he said breathlessly as he slowly stroked in and out of me. I arched my back off the bed and grabbed his ass, urging him to go faster. He took the hint and sped up the pace dramatically.

"You feel so fucking good," I moaned, lifting my hips to match his thrusts. He always loved it when I did that and a stream of profanities left his lips as a result.

Jackson continued to fuck me harder and harder until we both found our release. After we had come down from our high, he pulled out of me and we fell down on to the bed side by side. We were a sweaty mess but completely blissed out.

After a few moments of rest, Jackson propped himself up on his elbow and caressed my cheek, smiling lazily at me.

"I can't wait to wake up to you every morning," he said and ducked his head to give me a quick kiss before climbing out of the bed and heading to the bathroom.

"Just a few weeks," I reminded him. "Are you taking a shower?" I propped myself up on my elbows, letting my eyes roam his naked body.

"Yeah. Wanna join me?" He quirked his eyebrow and smiled.

I giggled and nodded, scrambling off the bed and hurrying to the bathroom. As much as it pained us, we were good in the shower so that we could get out and get some sleep. Jackson's flight back to L.A. would be leaving early the next morning and we each needed our rest.

~o.O.o~

After Jackson made it safely back to L.A. I spent the next few weeks packing what little shit I had at Stacy's, spending time with Mia and the baby, my parents, and my friends.

I hated that I was going to be so far from little Evan but I planned to make a trip home as often as I could and they had also promised to come and see us. So with a little luck, I'd still be able to be a big part of his life. There was so much I wanted to teach him and tell him.

The night before I was to make the move, Jackson flew in again so he could stay with me at Stacy and Eddie's. They had graciously offered to help us make the drive. Stacy and I were going to drive my car while Eddie and Jackson drove the moving truck. I'd spent the whole afternoon with little Evan in my arms while Chris, Jerry, and Eddie loaded the truck. It was strangely reminiscent of the first time I was supposed to move but I tried not to let the bad memories spoil my excitement.

"I'm gonna miss you so much, Rhi," Stacy wailed, wiping tears from her eyes. This was the 5th time today that she was having a breakdown. It meant a lot that she cared about me so much but after hearing it over and over again, I was just starting to get annoyed.

"Stace, we've already been through this," I said calmly. "We'll see each other as much as we can, right?"

She nodded and then sniffed loudly. "It's not going to be the same though."

"Babe, I told you we'll make a trip to see them next month," Eddie reminded her as he rubbed her back soothingly.

"But who am I going to force to go shopping with me now?" she cried. "And what about Monday nights, Rhi? What am I supposed to do now that you're going to be gone?" She chugged the rest of her drink and wiped her nose with the back of her hand.

It hurt my heart to see her so upset. I was going to miss her too. I leaned in towards her and gave her the best smile I could manage.

"Just think about all the crazy sex you're going to be able to have with me gone." I bumped her shoulder with mine and laughed when a smile spread across her lips. "It'll be pure bliss. No worrying about whether I'm going to walk in on it or hear it. You'll be completely free."

We all laughed and, for the time being, it seemed like the heavy was gone.

We went to bed relatively early and got up at six the next morning. By eight we were on the road. I admit I cried for the first ten minutes or so of the journey. Baton Rouge was where I'd grown up; where my fondest and most terrible memories were and more importantly, where my family was. But I was ready to start a new chapter of my life; one that would lead me who knows where. There were bound to be hard times as was the nature of life but there was also the promise of amazing times.

I sat back against the seat as Stacy turned on the CD player in my car. She slipped in a CD but I wasn't paying much attention due to the fact that I was lost in my own thoughts. As the first few notes of "Take it Easy" began, I felt a smile spread across my face. I looked over at Stacy and she winked at me, turning the volume up. The CD was of course Eddie's personal mix of great travel songs and we'd listened to it countless times, one such time being on our way to Dallas. It reminded me of the fun we used to have and it reminded me of my brother. I thought it was fitting, listening to this CD as we left the comfort and familiarity of my home town. Though it was unbelievably hard to say good bye, I knew it wouldn't be forever just as sure as I knew I was on the right path.

I glanced in the rearview mirror and caught sight of Jackson, who was also sitting in the passenger seat of the moving truck. I looked at the man who owned my heart and felt that swell and tingly sensation that always accompanied thoughts of him. He had given and sacrificed so much to make this relationship work. It took us going through a lot of bull shit for me to finally see what we meant to each other. There were still things that I needed to overcome but I had a renewed hope that in the long run everything would work out.

I now believed without a shadow of a doubt that all things could be beautiful in time.

THE END

**So how did you like the last chapter? Mia had the baby and Rhiannon finally moved to L.A. **

**Though the regular story is over, we still have the epilogue left to go.**

**Be prepared for a pretty long A/N at the end of that one. This being the first story of this kind for me to ever write and finish, it has meant a great deal to me. I'm going to miss it terribly. I sincerely hope that all of you have enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.**

**I promised a little something extra to the readers who shared their favorites with me. I will not disappoint you, I promise. I'm working on it as we speak and will be able to let you all in on it as soon as it's finished. I would still love to hear from you guys on what the most memorable moments/chapters/characters were for you. **

**Thank you all so much for reading and please review! I love reviews!**


	21. Epilogue

**So here it is…the final installment of "Beautiful in Time". It's been an amazing journey but all things must come to an end.**

**Thank yous will be in the chapter's end notes because I got all sentimental and wrote more than I probably should have. Lol! **

**Ok…no more stalling…Enjoy!**

Epilogue:

****May 2011****

"Rhiannon, get your ass in gear!" Stacy yelled through the door. Even the fact that we were in a church didn't take the potty out of Stacy's potty mouth.

"Stacy Reid!" my mother scolded as she fluffed my dress. We heard her giggle and then the sound of her heels as she walked away.

I laughed and rolled my eyes. Stacy really could be a bitch but I wouldn't have her any other way. She'd been extremely vital to helping me make it to this day: mine and Jackson's wedding day.

After I'd moved and gotten settled in L.A. I relied on Stacy and my mother to help me through the bouts of homesickness I'd always have when Jackson was working. I travelled a lot with him at first but when I'd gotten a job at the Los Angeles Times, the constant trips had to stop. Soon after he proposed to me, he'd cut down a lot on how long and how often he'd have to be gone. It definitely helped to have him home and it helped even more when my family would come to visit us, which they did often.

I got regular pictures of my gorgeous nephew and with each photograph he reminded me more and more of my brother. He was going to be a heartbreaker just like his daddy. He'd even started babbling as I found out when Mia called one night all excited over it. She'd put me on speaker phone so I could hear him.

I felt another wave of nausea hit me and held on to my mother for support.

"You ok, hun?" Mom asked as she looked at me worriedly.

"Yeah," I answered breathlessly. "Just feeling a little sick."

My mother beamed at me and kissed my cheek.

"That's just part of it, I'm afraid," she said wistfully. "Have you told Jackson yet?"

I shook my head quickly.

I hadn't had a chance to tell Jackson because I had only discovered it myself last night…

**~o.O.o~**

"_Rhi, you've barely drank anything," Stacy complained after I turned down the shot of tequila she ordered me._

"_I'm sorry," I told her. I didn't know why I couldn't seem to drink tonight. "I just don't feel well."_

"_Yeah, you look like hell." Stacy appraised me and shook her head. "Do you want to look like shit for your wedding day?"_

_I sighed in exasperation. Yes, of course that's what I wanted; to look like shit on the day I was marrying the love of my life. I couldn't help it that for the last few days I couldn't seem to get enough sleep or that every waking moment I was suffering from either nausea or a headache. I usually felt like this when I was getting ready to start my period…_

Oh fuck, _I thought._ My period…

"_Stacy," I said as the realization hit me. She heard the worry in my voice and immediately came to my side._

"_What is it?"_

"_I'm late." I looked at her to gage her reaction but she just looked confused._

"_For what?" she asked._

_Just then Carlie, Natalia, and Mia returned from the dance floor. _

"_My period," I hissed as the other girls sat down and ordered some drinks. "I was supposed to start like five days ago. I guess I've been so busy with the wedding plans that I didn't realize it. "_

_Stacy's eyes grew about three times their original size and her mouth dropped open. After she had somewhat composed herself, she grabbed the beer that was sitting in front of me and moved it out of my grasp._

"_No more of that for you until we get you a pregnancy test," she stated, successfully getting the attention of the other girls._

"_What?" Mia gasped, looking between me and Stacy. The other girl's expressions mirrored Mia's and I found myself getting really self-conscious at the attention my little revelation was getting._

"_Rhiannon's period is late and she's been feeling sick," Stacy explained. "Mia, you're the only one of us that's been pregnant. What do you think?"_

"_I think we should get a test," she answered flatly._

_Carlie and Natalia squealed and jumped up and down. They talked excitedly about how beautiful the baby was going to be but I couldn't figure out exactly how to feel about the situation. The whole ride to the drug store, I picked at the cuticles on my nails and punished my bottom lip with my teeth. When I finally tasted blood, I stopped. _

_Too nervous to even move, Stacy went in to get the test for me and then we sped back to her house. At that moment I was really glad Jackson and I had decided to have our wedding in Baton Rouge. There was no way I would be able to handle doing this without my friends and family._

_When we got to Stacy's the house was empty since Eddie had joined the rest of the guys for the bachelor party. Lord even knew what they were up to. I tried not to think about it too much. Stacy pulled out a few bottles of wine and told the girls to busy themselves while I took the test. Mia refused and insisted that she go upstairs with us. I didn't mind. Carlie and Natalia were my friends, that's why they were bridesmaids in the wedding, but Mia and Stacy were like sisters to me._

"_Do you want me to come with you?" Stacy asked as I grabbed the plastic bag containing the test and headed to the bathroom in Stacy's room._

_I looked at her with adoration. She never ceased to amaze me with how easily she could tell when I needed her the most._

_I nodded and smiled. She rose from the bed and told Mia we'd be back with an answer in just a few minutes – literally. _

_We went in to the bathroom and I opened the box, pulling out one of the two test sticks it came with. I reached in the box and grabbed the information packet and unfolded it, my hands shaking the entire time. _

"_Here, let me," Stacy offered and took the paper out of my hands._

_She skimmed over the directions as I removed the wrapping on the test stick I had selected._

_She began to read the contents of the paper aloud to me while I sat down on the toilet. _

_I followed the directions carefully expecting to have to wait the three minutes for an answer. I had just set the test down on the counter and began to wipe myself when I noticed the little hourglass on the display had already stopped flashing. I shot a panicked look over at Stacy and noticed she was looking at it too. _

"_That was fast," she murmured and looked at me._

_I pulled my panties and skirt up. I then took a deep breath and leaned in closer. All of a sudden I freaked out._

"_I can't," I whispered and looked at my friend. "Would you…?"_

_My heart pounded in my chest as I watched Stacy nod once and then lean in closer to the pregnancy test that was sitting on the sink._

_She blinked a few times and then…she smiled._

"_What? What is it?" I asked, picking the test up so I could see it clearly. I felt sure that I was going to hyperventilate as I read the display:_

Pregnant

_My eyes filled with tears and I placed the stick carefully back down on to the sink like it was going to explode or something. I stumbled back to the wall and slid down it until my ass was on the floor._

_Stacy came to me and crouched down in front of me._

"_Why are you crying? This is fucking amazing, Rhi!"_

_I shook my head violently as the tears flowed continuously from my eyes. Mia knocked and asked if I was ok, saying she'd heard a thud. Stacy told her to come in and talk some sense in to me. I watched through blurry eyes as Mia entered the bathroom, read the test, and then turned to look at me. Her expression was confused as she made her way over to me and sat in the floor beside me._

"_What's wrong, Rhiannon? Talk to us," Mia said softly as she rubbed my arm soothingly._

"_I-I don't kn-know," I cried. "What if J-Jackson isn't r-ready for this? W-What if he l-leaves me?" My heart ached in my chest at the thought of losing him._

"_Rhiannon, you know I love you but that is the dumbest thing you've ever said," Stacy declared a little angrily. "You're marrying this man tomorrow and even after all the two of you have been through, you still can't trust his love for you? Unbelievable."_

"_It's n-not that," I argued, beginning to get a little pissed at Stacy's lack of sympathy. "I know he loves me. I'm just s- scared of how he'll react, that's all." I wiped away my tears and attempted to slow my breathing._

_Mia cleared her throat and shook her head._

"_I have to agree with Stacy on this one. The time for insecurities has passed. You say you know he loves you?" she asked. I nodded and sighed impatiently. "Then you should know that he's not going to leave you because you're pregnant. If he didn't want kids with you, he wouldn't be marrying you and it's as simple as that."_

_Stacy laughed and nudged me._

"_Yeah. What she said."_

_We all laughed and my fear slowly subsided. For the moment at least…_

**~o.O.o~**

"When do you plan to tell him?" my mother asked, bringing me back to the present.

"Soon," I assured her and watched her as she ruffled my dress some more. "I wanted to tell him last night but his phone kept going to voicemail. When I finally got a hold of him this morning, things were too hectic to really discuss it."

"Honey, what are you afraid of?" My Mom was an incredibly perceptive person. Not to mention the fact that she knew me better than anyone else on this planet.

"I don't know," I admitted, feeling ridiculous. It's not like we hadn't discussed the fact that we wanted kids but I was just nervous that he wouldn't be happy since the timing was all off. He was about to go on a major US tour with 100 monkeys as well as all the promoting he was going to have to do for the next installment in the Twilight Saga films, "Breaking Dawn Part 1". If that wasn't enough, he was also going to be hitting the road with 100 Monkeys again towards the end of the year for their first European tour. We had discussed the fact that I would accompany him to as many places as I could and then when things calmed down a bit after the European tour, we'd start trying for our first child.

"You don't need to worry, love," Mom soothed me. "Jackson loves you and he's going to be thrilled."

"I hope you're right," I said and forced a smile, determined not to let my fear take over again.

My mother stepped back from me and her hand flew to her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

She shook her head and removed her hand from her mouth, displaying a beautiful smile.

"Nothing," she breathed. She motioned for me to turn around, so I did. I looked at myself in the full-length mirror in front of me. My dress was ivory in color and made of satin. The back was almost completely out, save a small zipper just above my ass. The straps were thin and the fabric bunched up around my stomach with a small group of rhinestones located right at the bust line. The cathedral train flowed out behind me and wasn't the easiest thing to manage. Thank God it was detachable; otherwise the reception was going to be a disaster.

The hair framing my face had been swept up in rhinestone pins while the rest hung down in loose curls. I'd opted out of a veil just because I didn't see the use or need for one. My make-up was kept simple and we'd made sure to get the waterproof mascara, seeing as how it was inevitable that I would cry at least once during the course of the day.

I smiled at my mother through the mirror as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"You look absolutely stunning," she said as she placed her hands on my shoulders. "Your brother would be very proud of you."

I smiled again and wiped the tears that had escaped my own eyes.

My mother went on to tell me how proud she was of me and how much she loved me. She cried some more while going over the something borrowed and something blue part with me since she was giving me some things she'd worn when she married Tom. A few minutes later, Randee came to check on our progress. She cried as soon as she saw me and made me promise to always be good to her only son.

Finally, it was show time. My mother walked with me down the hall and to our place behind the door, holding my hand the whole way. She kissed me on the cheek and then went to stand beside Chris, who would be walking her to her seat.

Jerry graciously agreed to be the other usher and our wedding party consisted of Graupner as the best man while Jerad, Ben J, and Eddie were groomsmen. Stacy was my matron of honor while Carlie, Natalia, and Mia were bridesmaids. It was absolutely perfect.

I took my spot next to Tom who would be walking me down the aisle. Although mine and Mark's relationship had gotten a lot better, Tom was still the only man I wanted to give me away on the most important day of my life. He'd always been there for me. He loved me unconditionally and sacrificed so much to see that I was always safe and taken care of. Mark was my father and I loved him but Tom…he was the man who saved our family and picked up the pieces of my mother's broken heart. There would never be anything I could do to repay him.

I took a few deep breaths as the nerves descended upon me again.

_You can do this. Jackson loves you. You love Jackson. He is the one. The only one._

I'd given myself that pep talk for the last week any time I'd get nervous or freak out about the wedding. It wasn't that I was doubting my decision in Jackson. He was everything to me. I just couldn't believe out of all of the women on this planet, he chose me. My mind drifted to the night he proposed…

**~o.O.o~**

"_Jackson, are you home?" I called as I shut the front door behind me. Jackson had been gone working on various projects for a week and my new job prevented me from being able to go with him. I was really excited about my job at the Los Angeles Times but, after only working there for less than a month, it wasn't in the best interest of keeping that job for me to ask off._

"_Upstairs baby," he answered. I got all giggly and excited to see him as I placed my keys on the table, took off my jacket and shoes, and began to climb the stairs in search of my man._

_As soon as I reached the top of the stairs, the breath was knocked out of me at the sight before me. Placed along the baseboards on both sides of the hallway were votive candles in clear glass holders. The hall light was off allowing the lit candles to cast a dreamy glow. _

_I walked slowly down the hall marveling at how romantic and thoughtful this had been for him. He was the one that had been gone. I should've been the one to surprise him with something amazing like this. _

_When I made it to our bedroom door, it was open and there were more votive candles lit and strategically placed all over our bedroom. Jackson was standing there with a bouquet of lilies in his hand and a gorgeous smile planted on his face._

"_Welcome home, Rhiannon," he said and walked towards me, leaning in to kiss me on the lips. My knees literally went weak as he kissed me and wrapped his free arm around me. When he broke away, he was still smiling but there was something different in his eyes. He almost looked…nervous?_

"_Isn't that supposed to be my line cowboy?" I teased him._

_He smiled wider and shrugged, holding out the flowers to me._

"_I remember you telling me that you liked lilies," he said as I took them from him and breathed in their heavenly scent. I wasn't a huge fan of flowers. Lilies were the only exception to that rule. Once the flowers weren't covering his hands anymore I noticed that they were shaking._

What is going on with him? _I wondered._

"_So what is all this?" I asked him as I laid the flowers down on the dresser._

"_Can't I woo you without you wondering why?" I turned to see the amused expression that was on his face but it didn't escape my notice that he kept fidgeting._

"_Woo me?" I laughed. "Baby, you've got me. You don't need to woo me."_

"_But I don't have you. Not completely, anyway." His fidgeting got worse as he moved towards the bed and motioned for me to follow him. _

_I walked over to the bed and sat down, Jackson taking a seat beside me._

"_So explain," I demanded. "What do you mean you don't have me completely?"_

_He laughed nervously and grabbed my hand; bringing it to his lips and kissing every finger before laying it back down on my lap. His breathing sped a little and he wasn't making eye contact with me._

"_Jackson?" I asked and ducked my head to look him in the eyes._

_He looked up at me and the look on his face confused the hell out of me. Yes, he was definitely nervous about something. He even looked a little sick. Before I could say anything though he took a deep breath and spoke._

"_I know I have you, baby. Call me selfish but I want you in every way possible." _

Oh my_, I thought. _Every way possible, huh? I could get in to that…

_I smiled seductively at him and leaned in to kiss him but he stopped me._

What the fuck?

"_Wait," he said and held his hand up. "Just let me say this."_

_I huffed impatiently but backed off._

"_I love you, Rhiannon Amelia Grey. I can't imagine my life without you." He locked his eyes with mine but he was still visibly shaking. "I meant what I said when we got back together. There will never be anyone else for me."_

_He slid off the bed and on to his knees in front of me. It was in that moment that the realization hit me. All at once I understood why he'd been so nervous and what he'd meant by wanting me in every way possible._

Oh…My…God…

_I gasped as he took a small black box out of his pocket and opened it. Nestled in a bed of cream-colored satin was the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. The middle diamond was round and there were two heart-shaped diamonds on either side in a vintage setting. I was speechless and I'm pretty sure my eyes were bugging out of their sockets._

"_I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Rhiannon. Will you marry me?"_

**~o.O.o~**

Of course I'd said yes and then we'd made love all night. We literally hadn't fallen asleep until the sun was up. That night I couldn't imagine being happier.

I felt Tom grab my hand and heard the music change.

"You ready sweetheart?" he whispered in to my ear.

The doors opened and I caught sight of Jackson. Every bit of fear and apprehension melted away as I looked in to his beautiful eyes and saw the love in them.

"I am," I whispered to Tom, never taking my eyes off of Jackson.

Tom kissed me on the cheek and we began our walk down the aisle. The closer we got to Jackson the more I felt like sprinting the rest of the distance. All I wanted was to be in his arms.

I hadn't realized that I actually had sped up until I heard Tom chuckle lightly and noticed he was slightly behind me. I slowed my pace so that Tom could catch up as the heat colored my cheeks. There were quiet laughs here and there throughout the sanctuary.

_Great…_

I looked up at Jackson and saw his smile and the tears that were filling his incredible eyes. And again, all I could see was him.

Finally we reached my very soon-to-be husband and he took my hand.

Suddenly it felt as if there was a bubble that formed around us. The voices of the preacher and Tom sounded so far away as Tom was "giving" me to Jackson. I was completely consumed by this unbelievably amazing man standing before me. He had always had me. From the very moment he'd introduced himself in Eddie's living room, he'd had me.

"I love you," he mouthed to me.

"I love you too."

**~o.O.o~**

A mere 20 minutes later, the ceremony was over and we were making our way to the car to be taken to Stacy and Eddie's house for the reception.

We stepped out of the back door of the church where Jackson had said the car would be waiting for us but I didn't see a car. There was only a long black limousine parked in front of us.

The driver was standing by the back door smiling at us. I looked at Jackson questioningly.

"I don't know baby," he answered my unspoken question. "I was told it would be a car."

"This is compliments of Mr. and Mrs. Reid," the driver informed us.

_Stacy…_

I smiled big and grabbed Jackson's hand, pulling him toward the limo.

"After you Mrs. Rathbone," the driver said as he opened the back door.

_Mrs. Rathbone…I like the sound of that._

"Thank you," Jackson said as he climbed in next to me.

"My pleasure, Mr. Rathbone." The driver smiled at us and then shut the door.

I was having a mini freak out as we pulled away from the curb. This limo had everything! The seats were leather, there were all sorts of little snacks to nibble on, we had our own radio, and sitting in a large silver bucket was a bottle of champagne with chocolate-covered strawberries sitting around the bottle in the ice. There were two beautiful glass champagne flutes and upon closer inspection I noticed they had our names on them and the date of our wedding. Stacy had gone above and beyond to make this day unforgettable.

"Jackson, look!" I squealed and showed him the glasses. "They have our names on them."

"'Jackson and Rhiannon Rathbone'," he read aloud. "'May 21st, 2011.'" He finished reading it and smiled. "So what do you say we break them in?" He reached for the champagne but I put my hand on his arm.

"I can't," I told him, my nerves resurfacing because of what I was about to tell him.

"Why?" His face was a mixture of confusion and amusement.

"Well..." I began, fully intending to tell him that pregnant women really shouldn't be drinking alcohol but instead, I allowed the fear to paralyze me. "Maybe we should wait. For the reception, I mean."

He looked at me questioningly so I conjured the best smile I could, hoping it would convince him. Thankfully, it did and he just pulled me to him, kissing me deeply.

I was mentally beating myself up for being such a coward but I allowed his glorious lips to distract me until we pulled up at Stacy's house.

Inside there was soft music playing, candles and lilies everywhere, and tons of people gathered to celebrate our day. As soon as we were sighted a chorus of claps rose from the crowd as Jackson grabbed my hand and led me in to the reception area.

Stacy smiled and gestured for everyone to settle down. She then grabbed the microphone from Eddie and announced us.

"Ladies and gentleman, it is my pleasure to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Monroe Jackson Rathbone the fifth."

The crowd erupted in claps and encouraging shouts. I blushed fiercely as Jackson twirled me around and then kissed my hand.

We made our way to our seats at the table reserved for the bride and groom and our parents. It seemed like an eternity of endless "Congratulations" and "We're so happy for you" as just about everyone came by our table. Finally, a waiter came around with drinks in small glass flutes, much like the ones Stacy had made for us. He sat a glass of champagne down in front of everyone at our table, except me. Instead, my glass was filled with sparkling water.

I looked up at Stacy and she winked at me, giving me her brightest smile.

"What's this?" Jackson asked me, gesturing to my glass that obviously didn't have the same contents as everyone else's. I glanced around nervously, hoping that for once luck would be on my side and I'd be able to confess without everyone listening in on the conversation. Surprisingly, luck appeared to have given me a break seeing as how our tablemates seemed to be lost in their own discussions.

"It's sparkling water," I finally answered him. I looked up quickly to see the confusion on his face and then settled my gaze in to my lap. "I'm not allowed to have alcohol in my condition."

"What are you talking about, your condition?"

I looked up at him and placed both my hands on my stomach, rubbing it tenderly. His eyes lowered to my stomach and then back up to my eyes, then back down, and finally back up.

"Are you…?" his voice trailed off before he could finish his question.

I nodded and said, "I'm pregnant. I just found out last night. I would've told you sooner but I couldn't get in touch with you last night and then this morning it was so crazy…" I had been looking down at my hands as I rambled and when I looked back up, Jackson was sporting the most heart-breakingly beautiful smile I had ever seen.

"We're gonna have a baby!" he exclaimed and then laughed with pure joy.

A collection of gasps broke out throughout the room but I was more aware of the tearful smile I was receiving from Randee. Papa Rathbone was smiling as well and I watched as Randee came over to us and pulled me to my feet. Jackson stood up with me, keeping a firm grip on my hand. She looked at both of us and then wrapped her arms around us, squeezing us tightly as a sob escaped her lips.

"I love you both so much," she said and then kissed us each on the cheek. After her came another wave of people congratulating us. Even Jackson's fellow band mates seemed thrilled with the news. I expected Graupner to have something smart to say about it but he seemed to genuinely be happy for us, insisting that he would be called "Uncle G".

After things had once again calmed down for the moment, Jackson pulled me to him and kissed me deeply. When he'd successfully made me tingly all over from his kisses, he pulled away and pressed his forehead to mine, whispering, "I love you. I love you so much."

"So I take it you're happy then?" I asked him.

"Of course I am," he answered and sat back to look at me. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I was just worried that you wouldn't be happy because the timing is all off," I replied.

"Rhiannon, I don't give a shit about the timing," he assured me as he took my hands in his. "We have made a life together." He removed one of his hands from mine and placed it on my stomach. "I couldn't be any happier right now."

I couldn't stop the tears that filled my eyes or the stupid smile that spread across my face.

Our lives were going to change drastically but I couldn't feel anything but happiness.

"I love you so much Mrs. Rathbone."

"I love you Mr. Rathbone. Always."

**~o.O.o~**

******3 months later Jackson and I found out we were having a girl. We also found out that Stacy and Eddie were expecting their own bundle of joy and not long after, we were informed that it would be a boy. Stacy and I joked about our kids dating but even though it was all in fun, I really did wonder if somehow it would be possible for them to end up together. I couldn't imagine anything more perfect. While Stacy and I planned our children's futures, Eddie and Jackson bonded over the horrifying stories of our hormones and the ridiculous shit we craved.

******The guys got Abolish Luck back together with a new lead singer…Mia. Turns out she was a pretty great singer. They wrote all new songs but made it a tradition to perform "Abolish Luck" at every show in honor of Evan. After recording with Mia they hit the road with 100 Monkeys. The crowd really loved them and I got to see Mia and little Evan more…that is when my mother brought him to a show. She pretty much cared for him while they were on the road.

******Mom and Tom did a lot more travelling and even made regular visits to us and Jackson's parents. Slowly but surely my mother made it back to her old self. She still cried from time to time but she was too happy about her grandchildren to let her grief control her life as much as it used to.

******After the baby was born, I decided to take a risk and try writing a novel. It had been a dream of mine for so long and it would also allow me to work from home so I could take care of our baby girl, who we'd named Alyson Claire Rathbone. Jackson and I affectionately called her Aly-Claire.

Before everything was said and done, we had 2 more kids, both boys. We moved to the outskirts of Los Angeles where it was more rural and where we actually had a yard for our children to play in. Jackson continued to work hard but when he was home, he devoted all of his energy to me and the kids. I published my first novel right after our first son was born and it hit the New York Time's Bestseller list in its first few weeks on the shelves. I continued to write, finding the career I actually belonged in.

Jackson and I definitely didn't have the perfect marriage. We had fights just like every other couple but we never forgot how much we loved each other and the family we'd made. Our lives were our own personal version of Beautiful and it suited us just fine.

**Well? **

**I warned you all that this A/N would be long…so here goes.**

**To my wonderful Beta, Lilaea…I can't even begin to thank you enough for all of your help. You began as a pre reader and one of my biggest cheerleaders. I look forward to working with you a lot more in the future and I hope you're ready for it. Crazy shit is a-coming! I love you girl!**

**Mindy…my pre reader extraordinaire. There will never be enough I can do to thank you for all of the chats we had where I'd bounce ideas off of you. I would still be stuck if it wasn't for you. Thank you for all of your hard work and support. I love you!**

**Starchick7003 is the reason this story even exists. #Truestory. I was way too self-conscious about my writing to ever publish anything. She read the Teaser and first Chapter of this story and demanded more. She stayed on my ass to continue it and has remained on my ass all the way to the end. There were times I wanted to yell at her but writing this story…well, just writing in general has brought so much happiness in to my life. I owe that happiness to her. So thank you Britt…from the very bottom of my heart, thank you. I love you!**

**To all those who stuck by me throughout the course of this story with all it's crazy ups and downs…I adore you all. The reviews have meant the world to me and I have enjoyed getting to know you guys a little. Without the support of all of you, I would've had no one to write for. I hope y'all will continue to read my stories because I really don't want to say good bye to you. Thank you all so very much!**

**I hope the ending was all you hoped it would be. Again, thank you for reading! **


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